Raíces, by J. Degenhardt
Héctor is a teenager who lives in San Lucas Tolimán on the shore of lago Atitlán in Guatemala. Like most teenagers, he enjoys music and sports, and hanging out with his friends on the weekends. But having grown up with his father who’s a farmer and a mother who works at IMAP, an organization that educates people about ecology and sustainability, Héctor is also keenly aware of the human impact on the earth, especially when he sees trash haphazardly discarded throughout his town.
In this novice-level novel, read how Héctor and his younger brother Ignacio take what they have learned from their abuelo and apply it to the land and their town, giving meaning to the phrase, “think globally, act locally.”
This book's publication is a collaboration with the Pulsera Project, a nonprofit fair trade organization that partners with U.S. schools to bring meaningful service-learning projects to students in the U.S. Students sell handwoven bracelets (“pulseras” in Spanish) in their communities, raising funds to provide jobs for over 200 artisans and communities throughout Central America. Over 3,600 schools have hosted pulsera sales in all 50 states. Learn more at www.pulseraproject.org .
Additionally, 50% of the proceeds from this book will be donated to IMAP, an organization in Guatemala that helps to improve the wellbeing of the peoples of Mesoamerica; www.imapermaculture.org.