An inspiring story about the power of books and reading.

Federico’s papa had a special job. He read books aloud to the factory workers as they did their work by hand. Papa was a lector, and if he were still here, he would have taught Federico to read so that he could become a lector too. Now Federico works at the factory instead of going to school. He’s proud to earn money for his family, but he knows Papa had a different dream for him.

When Federico finds a way to get reading lessons, he works as hard as he can to learn the words in the pages of Papa’s books. One day, when he has the chance to step up to the lector platform, he’ll be ready.

Set in the historic Cuban-American Ybor City neighborhood of Tampa, Florida, this story of learning to read beautifully portrays the learning process and incorporates growth mindset elements.