SUMMARY This story explores a sea journey taken by a family in the nineteenth century. The parents and twins Inés and Ernesto travel from their home in Puerto Rico and sail around South America to their new home in San Francisco.

BUILD BACKGROUND Ask students if they have ever been on a boat or wanted to travel by sea. Discuss what it would mean to live on a boat. What kinds of supplies would be important for such a trip?

PREVIEW/USE TEXT FEATURES Invite students to take a picture walk through the illustrations. Ask students how the illustrations give clues as to what is happening in the story.

Ask English learners to skim the story and write down any unfamiliar words. Suggest they look the words up in the dictionary.

TEACH/REVIEW VOCABULARY Review the vocabulary words. Play "Vocabulary Master." Give students three different definitions for each vocabulary word, including one that is fantastical or silly. Then, have them select the correct definition and use the word in a sentence.

AUTHOR'S PURPOSE Remind students that author's purpose means the reason or reasons the author has for writing, including to persuade, inform, entertain, or express. Select a few sentences from the story. Ask students why they think the author wrote them.

PREDICT Remind students that to predict means to tell what you think might happen next in a story based on what has already happened. After you make a prediction, however, you can check and change that prediction based on information you learn as you read on. Ask students to make a prediction based on the cover illustration of the book. Then have them read a few pages of the story. Does their prediction change?