Hernan Sosa's sensitive and detailed watercolor and ink illustrations reveal much about life in the colonia, a neighborhood bordering a towering trash heap, as he brings to life Armando's thin mattress on cinder blocks, his few treasures on a makeshift shelf, and the candle by his bedside for light. . . . With a liberal sprinkling of Spanish words and phrases, authors Fine and Josephson tackle some powerful themes of social justice and equal opportunity, but the story is not heavy-handed or preachy. Armando's story is likely to prompt children of all ages to think hard about the gifts and privileges in their own lives. . . . This book about a blue tarp school teaches a valuable lesson about hope, possibilities and the power of one person to make a difference in a community.
