I am going to summarize the book The Corn Grows Ripe, written by Dorothy Rhoads and illustrated by Jean Charot. This is a story about a boy and his family who experience a drought and tough times and how they manage to get through it all.
In the story, The Corn Grows Ripe, there's a boy called Tigre who lives in Central America with his great-grandmother, mom, dad, little sister and dog in a log and grass hut near the bush. His family are hard workers. One day Tigre and his father go to the bush that is full of snakes, lizards and insects. They go to the bush to start their milpa (cornfield). Tigre and his father need to cut down the trees to make a field. Tigre thinks this work is hard and tiring. The next morning his father wakes him up early but Tigre feels tired and sore and doesn't want to wake up. Tigre's father goes to work in the bush by himself while Tigre goes to school. After school Tigre comes home and finds his father laying in a hamock. He has a broken leg and Tigre must go to the other side of the bush (17 km away) to fetch the bonesetter/medicine man.
In chapters 3-6 Tigre sets off to get the doctor for his dad. In this journey he has to go through the bush at nine pm. He eventually gets to the doctor and sets off to go home in the morning with the doctor. The doctor says father will not get better until harvest time so Tigre has to do all the work and has to study.
In the end of the dry season all the trees that Tigre has cut down are dry and ready for burning. Tigre was waiting for his uncle to come to come to help him burn the milpa but his uncle did not come. Tigre has to burn the milpa himself. It was hard, dangerous work but Tigre survived and it was a "good burn". Tigre saw all the other boys were making ropes for the fiesta where they would lead bulls into the ring. He decide to make one himself but soon got blisters and grew tired of it. Son it was time for the festival Tigre watched the villagers make preparations for the fiesta. Tigre had decided to finish his rope and he participated in being a vaquero. Tigre's rope was not the best but it also was not the worst.
After the festival the weather was hot and people were waiting for it to rain so they could plant the seeds. When the rain finally came all the men were outside with their planting sticks and dogs ready to plant their seeds in the soft soil. When Tigre's baby brother was four months old he had a special ceremony. At the end of the ceremony Tigre's grandfather gave Tigre a gun of his own because he did the work of a man while he was a boy. Now the seeds are planted they need rain. When it is dry the villagers gave offerings to the rain gods.
The medicine man came to build an altar in the bush and all the men and boys came and each participated in the rain ceremony. After the ceremony the people left and waited for rain. Rain came on the third day and Tigre was the first one to see it. Tigre and his family went to the bush at harvest time and saw the big squash, the beans on their vines and the ripe corn. Tigre became more mature. He changed from being weak and lazy to being stron and determined.
In the story, The Corn Grows Ripe, there's a boy called Tigre who lives in Central America with his great-grandmother, mom, dad, little sister and dog in a log and grass hut near the bush. His family are hard workers. One day Tigre and his father go to the bush that is full of snakes, lizards and insects. They go to the bush to start their milpa (cornfield). Tigre and his father need to cut down the trees to make a field. Tigre thinks this work is hard and tiring. The next morning his father wakes him up early but Tigre feels tired and sore and doesn't want to wake up. Tigre's father goes to work in the bush by himself while Tigre goes to school. After school Tigre comes home and finds his father laying in a hamock. He has a broken leg and Tigre must go to the other side of the bush (17 km away) to fetch the bonesetter/medicine man.
In chapters 3-6 Tigre sets off to get the doctor for his dad. In this journey he has to go through the bush at nine pm. He eventually gets to the doctor and sets off to go home in the morning with the doctor. The doctor says father will not get better until harvest time so Tigre has to do all the work and has to study.
In the end of the dry season all the trees that Tigre has cut down are dry and ready for burning. Tigre was waiting for his uncle to come to come to help him burn the milpa but his uncle did not come. Tigre has to burn the milpa himself. It was hard, dangerous work but Tigre survived and it was a "good burn". Tigre saw all the other boys were making ropes for the fiesta where they would lead bulls into the ring. He decide to make one himself but soon got blisters and grew tired of it. Son it was time for the festival Tigre watched the villagers make preparations for the fiesta. Tigre had decided to finish his rope and he participated in being a vaquero. Tigre's rope was not the best but it also was not the worst.
After the festival the weather was hot and people were waiting for it to rain so they could plant the seeds. When the rain finally came all the men were outside with their planting sticks and dogs ready to plant their seeds in the soft soil. When Tigre's baby brother was four months old he had a special ceremony. At the end of the ceremony Tigre's grandfather gave Tigre a gun of his own because he did the work of a man while he was a boy. Now the seeds are planted they need rain. When it is dry the villagers gave offerings to the rain gods.
The medicine man came to build an altar in the bush and all the men and boys came and each participated in the rain ceremony. After the ceremony the people left and waited for rain. Rain came on the third day and Tigre was the first one to see it. Tigre and his family went to the bush at harvest time and saw the big squash, the beans on their vines and the ripe corn. Tigre became more mature. He changed from being weak and lazy to being stron and determined.
