The Table Where Rich People Sit

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?

Byrd Baylor lives and writes in Arizona, presenting images of the Southwest and an intense connection between the land and the people. Her prose illustrates vividly the value of simplicity, the natural world, and the balance of life within it.