Armando's family are trash pickers, living off things they can use, recycle, and sell from the city trash dump. Armando works with his father to help support the family, but he also finds things f
Armando's family are trash pickers, living off things they can use, recycle, and sell from the city trash dump. Armando works with his father to help support the family, but he also finds things for himself — pencil stubs, a notebook, and an old paint set — with which to write and paint.
One summer, Senor David arrives and begins teaching school on a blue tarp spread on the ground. Armando's parents decide that learning may help him find different work when he grows up, so Armando begins attending the blue tarp school. The children learn to read and write. They learn math. And they draw, much to Armando's delight. When a fire in the colonia burns down several homes, it is Armando's picture of the fiery night that helps bring outside support and money to construct a school building.
