The Table Where Rich People Sit

Written by Byrd Baylor · Illustrated by Peter Parnall

A girl who thinks her family is poor learns to count a different kind of wealth.

4.4 Goodreads · 576 ratings

32 pages· 1,814 words· Est. 14 min read-aloud· 800L· AR 4.3 · 0.5 AR pts

$19.99Save 5%

In stock. Also at Amazon or Bookshop.

Bookroo's summary

Mountain Girl knows her family doesn't have enough money: look at her worn-out shoes and her brother's patched pants. But around their scratched kitchen table, her parents insist they are rich, and the family starts adding up what their life outdoors is worth: seeing the sky all day, smelling coming rain, watching a cactus bloom, sleeping under the stars. Slowly she begins to wonder whether they might be rich after all.

From the publisher

A young girl discovers that her impoverished family is rich in things that matter in life, especially being outdoors and experiencing nature. Mountain Girl knows her family doesn't have enough money. But as the family sits around their scratched-up kitchen table and discusses the subject, her parents say they're rich. Don't her parents see her worn-out shoes or the patches on her little brother's pants? They begin to count up the value of the things they have. How much is it worth to be able to see the sky all day and feel the wind and smell the coming rain? Or to watch a cactus bloom or to sleep outside under the stars? After a while, Mountain Girl begins to realize money may not be as important as she thought. Could her family really be rich after all?

At a glance