Cajas de Carton

In "To Have and to Hold," Jimenez reflects on his two most precious objects, and their loss. The family is moving to a new city, Orosi, in rural Tulare County, California, where Papa has heard the vineyard owner has proper homes for his workers. In the car, Jimenez tells the story of his penny collection, and the precious Indian Head penny he was given by his friend Carl, as well as the precious 1910 penny that Papa gave him from their savings box. Jimenez also talks about his librito, or blue notebook, in which he has written the definitions of English words, grammar rules for English, and math formulas to memorize as he works in the fields. For Jimenez, these objects are more precious than anything else.

In Orosi, the family stays in their first proper house. However, their good fortune does not last long. Slowly, each of Jimenez's precious objects is lost. First, Rorra steals the pennies from Jimenez's box while he is working and spends them on gumballs at the grocery store. Jimenez is enraged, but Mama tells him a story that reminds him that family is more important than pennies.