By Delia Ruelas

Students from Quinto Municipio Elementary School, located in the Plan Libertador, exhibited their models, drawings, and narratives inspired by the book “Cajas de Cartón” by Francisco Jimenez.

This material was provided by Amigos de la Biblioteca, an organization that connects Rosarito students with inspiring reading.

At an event in the school’s plaza, representatives of the association thanked teachers, parents, and students for their interest in promoting these books written by an author who had a difficult life migrating to the United States with his family at a young age.

Elvia Canela, mother of a fourth-grade student, mentioned that the writer’s books are very interesting as her son wanted to finish each chapter before it was required in class due to the suspense.

Yoana Díaz de la Cruz noted that after reading each chapter, the teachers asked the children to create a model, which has also been a challenge and a boost to promote the children’s creativity.

The president of the civil association, Carmen Dominguez, read a letter sent by Francisco Jimenez, the author and a professor at Santa Clara University in the United States.

In the letter, Jimenez mentioned that “Cajas de Cartón” was written to document part of his family’s history but, above all, to express the experience of a significant segment of society that has often been overlooked.

Through his work, he aspires to provide readers with a glimpse into the lives of migrant farm workers and their children, whose exhausting work picking fruits and vegetables supplies food to our tables.

These hardworking individuals maintain a great effort, desire, and hope to provide a better life for their children and grandchildren, adding more meaning to the phrase “the American dream.”