1. The Family Summary

The Corn Grows Ripe by Dorothy Rhoads centers on Tigre, a Mayan boy who must clear the bush and plant his injured father's cornfield. Tigre learns how to be responsible and overcome challenges.

In the first chapter, The Family, young Dionisio oversleeps in his hammock. He thinks he should help his father do chores, but he is lazy. He lives with Father, Mother, Great-Grandmother and Concha, his five year-old sister. They live in a little house of trees cut from the bush. Mayans live by the bush in village life. They believe in gods and supernatural beings. Dionisio's nickname is Tigre (Jaguar) because his skin looks like that of a jaguar and he is curious and mischievous.

The Great-Grandmother resents Tigre's laziness. She is hard on him. His three brothers died in a week due to fever. She thinks Tigre's parents...