The powerful story of a migrant boy who grows in self-confidence when he uses his math prowess to stand up to the school bullies.

L. King Perez has won many awards for her fiction and poetry. In addition to writing, she accompanies visiting authors to their appearances around Dayton, Ohio, where she and her husband live. Pérez based the story of Chico in First Day in Grapes on her husband's experiences growing up as a migrant child in California.

Robert Casilla is the illustrator of several books in Holiday House's A Picture Book... biography series, as well as many award-winning books, including Jalapeño Bagels (ALA Notable; Atheneum), Daddy Poems (Children's Choices; Boyds Mills), and The Little Painter of Sabana Grande (Reading Rainbow Book; Bradbury). A full-time illustrator, Casilla earned his BFA at the School of Visual Arts in New York City. He lives in Yonkers, New York, with his wife and their two children. To find out more about Robert Casilla, visit his Web site: www.robertcasilla.com.