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Salvador and Peep

by Mary T. Jastron

18 pages; Saddle stitched; children's book with colour illustrations; catalogue #06-1929; ISBN 1-4251-0172-0; US$12.95, C$18.34, EUR13.10, £9.17

Salvador is a little Mexican boy whose adventure begins when a baby chick has an accident. He rescues her and decides that when his Peep grows into a chicken, he will have an egg for breakfast every morning.

About the Book

Salvador was elected mayor of the town and he can’t understand why a mayor must go to school. Besides, he’s grouchy and hungry. But instead of breakfast there are live fluffy chicks on the table. Mama explains that she must sell the chicks at market to be able to buy good things to eat.

Suddenly Salvador’s baby sister picks up a chick and drops it. It lies on the floor, belly up, with its eyes closed, not even fluttering a tiny yellow wing. Salvador thinks the chick is dead and his Mama urges him to bury it in the garden. Sadly, Salvador digs a hole in the soft earth and tucks the chick into the hole. A spot of yellow still shows.

Salvador arrives at school on time but can’t stop thinking about the chick. So he hurries back to retrieve it from the ground. He brushes the dirt away from its beak. It is still warm and soft. He tucks the chick into his pocket and rides back to school on his burro, as fast as he can. But it is too late. Miss Anita, the teacher, is angry that he is late and tells him to stand in the corner. He leans against the wall and listens to children telling stories about their vacations and about grandmas (abuelas) who give hugs. He is sad because he never goes on a vacation and does not have an abuela who gives hugs.

Suddenly, there is a tickle in his pocket. He pulls out the chick and she says “Peep!” She is still alive!

The children laugh. Miss Anita asks Salvador to explain. He walks to the center of the room and tells his story. By this time the chick is poking all around the classroom singing, “Peep!”

Miss Anita and the children like the story and they clap and cheer. Salvador can smile again.

When Mama returns from market with bags of good things to eat, she is surprised to see a chick walking around the kitchen. Salvador has to tell his story over and over again. He asks if he can keep Peep as his pet. “Maybe when Peep grows into a chicken, I can have an egg for breakfast every morning,” he says. Then he remembers that there are three kids who need breakfast and one egg will not be enough.

His Mama has a great idea. “I can take one egg and add some flour. Then I can make SOPAPILLAS with HONEY for everybody!”

Salvador likes that idea very much.

The next day he calls a town meeting in the square. All the people in Salvadorro come to hear the new mayor speak.

Salvador declares loud and clear, “From today on, every casa in Salvadorro must have a chicken in the yard to lay eggs. And every boy every girl must have a sopapilla with honey for breakfast before school.”

The people of Salvadorro love it. They clap and cheer the new rule. So it becomes the law of the town.

About the Author

Mary T. Jastron is a retired educator and a grandmother. In the inner city schools where she worked, she found that few books related to the struggles of children in poverty. New immigrants with limited English had a completely different frame of reference about their world. Many came to school hungry. Their daily concerns were with basics like food and shelter. Mary discovered that when she entered their world, she was able to tap into the most dynamic resource for motivating a child to read.

“It’s important to bridge that cultural gap early,” says Mary. “Books need to be relative to the real lives and personal struggles of families if children are to succeed.”

Excerpts