Letters in Charcoal
by Irene Vasco, Juan Palomino (Illustrator)

5 of 5 stars

A young girl grows up in a poor village in Colombia. There is only one person in the entire village who knows how to read, and this girl barters with them to learn the alphabet. She studies to learn to read, so that she can read letters that arrive for her family. She makes alphabet letters from charcoal or chalk, deciphering their meaning and sharing her knowledge with the other children in the village.

This is such a meaningful and hopeful story! I love that the main character is so determined to learn to read and then share that blessing with other people. It really makes you think about what a privilege and honor it is to be able to read, and to have an education that opens so many doors for your life. It makes me very grateful, and it inspires me to know that there are real life people like this character who strive and work and succeed. What a beautiful story!

I loved the gorgeous illustrations! Each page is full of color and energy. The art style is simple but has a kind of saturated weight to it that deepens the story.

It was really interesting to read the epilogue about Colombian history and modern efforts to bring education to remote areas.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publisher/author in exchange for a free and honest review. All the opinions stated here are my own true thoughts, and are not influenced by anyone.