La curandera (traditional healer) needs a rue plant to make a remedy so that she can cure Prietita's sick mother and Prietita wants to do everything she can to help, even if it means trespassing on the land owned by King Ranch where rue is said to grow freely. When she sneaks under the barbed wire fence, not only does she risk being shot at by guards, she also risks running into la Llorona , the legendary ghost woman who is said to steal children. This short bilingual story features a courageous Latina girl as its heroine. She uses her wits and knowledge of her Mexican cultural heritage to find what she needs to help her mami . (Ages 7-10)