On Good Friday, Aaji would like to get his grandmother a piece of smoked salmon to complete the meal she cannot afford to buy for herself, so he finds work at Teacher Omar's house, does his job well, and is rewarded with a piece of salmon that he proudly brings home.

Joseph has always wanted Mama to read for him, but when he finds out that Mama can't read, he decides to help her

A poor West Indian boy, Anselm, wants nothing so much as an evergreen Christmas tree to celebrate Christmas, until Miss Mary, Anselm's neighbor, points out that the West Indies have their own kind of Christmas trees: the poinsettia.