Our school wraps around a hundred-year-old oak tree. Through shady branches, we watch summer leaves change in the autumn leaves change in the autumn wind and drop into crunchy piles. My favorite place is the school garden. Between leafy cabbages and tomatoes, my father helped our class plant rows of sunflower seeds.
One day, he told me that because he wasn’t born here like me, he must return to his native country. He wrapped his arms around me. “Te quiero mucho, Estrella… my little star. I’ll be back one day to see the sunflowers bloom.”
I love to skip between the tall stalks of yellow-rayed petals and think of his smile. I wish you knew that when I forget my homework or sit alone at lunch or cry over little things, it’s because I miss him. I wish you knew that since my father left, my mother works a lot. And my little brother has bad dreams. I wish everyone knew how much I miss him.
Comprehension Questions
1. What is the sharing circle called?
A. Sharing Time
B. I Wish You Knew
C. I Share With You
2. Why does Estrella's like sunflowers?
A. How tall they are.
B. They remind her of her father.
C. They are her favorite color.
A. How tall they are.
B. They remind her of her father.
C. They are her favorite color.
Your Thoughts
3. Did you like this excerpt? Why or why not?
Vocabulary
4. List any vocabulary words below.