Status
Available
Collection
Publication
HMH Books for Young Readers (2015), Edition: Illustrated, 48 pages
Description
Biography & Autobiography. Juvenile Nonfiction. Music. HTML: Girls cannot be drummers. Long ago on an island filled with music, no one questioned that rule�??until the drum dream girl. In her city of drumbeats, she dreamed of pounding tall congas and tapping small bongós. She had to keep quiet. She had to practice in secret. But when at last her dream-bright music was heard, everyone sang and danced and decided that both girls and boys should be free to drum and dream. Inspired by the childhood of Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, a Chinese-African-Cuban girl who broke Cuba's traditional taboo against female drummers, Drum Dream Girl tells an inspiring true story for dreamers everywhere.
Local notes
School Library Journal Starred, 12/31/2014
Gr 1–4—Engle's spare, rhythmic text gets at the heart of the struggle to achieve a dream in this picture-book biography about a Chinese African Cuban girl who aspired to play drums even when society's double standards stood as a barrier. Growing up in tempestuous 1930s Havana, during a time when universities were often shut down because of their opposition to the dictatorial President Machado, Millo Castro Zaldarriaga dared to dream of playing percussion instruments—timbales, congas, bongós—but her father was adamant that "only boys should play drums." But still she persisted in her hopes and eventually, with the help of her sisters and music teacher, became a member of the renowned Anacaona, Cuba's first all-girl dance band, founded by her sister, Cuchito Castro. López's zinging, neon-tinged art highlights the island's diversity, depicting the drum girl's flights of fancy set against the backdrop of carnival scenes and outdoor cafes. Details of Cuba's and the protagonist's Chinese, African, Taíno, and Spanish roots are seamlessly interwoven into the lyrical narrative and luminous acrylic paintings. The alliterative text parallels the snappy syncopation of the subject's instruments. The heroine's tenacity in the face of naysayers will inspire all dreamers, and the illustrator's smile-inducing cameo on the last page emphasizes the universality of Millo's story.
Gr 1–4—Engle's spare, rhythmic text gets at the heart of the struggle to achieve a dream in this picture-book biography about a Chinese African Cuban girl who aspired to play drums even when society's double standards stood as a barrier. Growing up in tempestuous 1930s Havana, during a time when universities were often shut down because of their opposition to the dictatorial President Machado, Millo Castro Zaldarriaga dared to dream of playing percussion instruments—timbales, congas, bongós—but her father was adamant that "only boys should play drums." But still she persisted in her hopes and eventually, with the help of her sisters and music teacher, became a member of the renowned Anacaona, Cuba's first all-girl dance band, founded by her sister, Cuchito Castro. López's zinging, neon-tinged art highlights the island's diversity, depicting the drum girl's flights of fancy set against the backdrop of carnival scenes and outdoor cafes. Details of Cuba's and the protagonist's Chinese, African, Taíno, and Spanish roots are seamlessly interwoven into the lyrical narrative and luminous acrylic paintings. The alliterative text parallels the snappy syncopation of the subject's instruments. The heroine's tenacity in the face of naysayers will inspire all dreamers, and the illustrator's smile-inducing cameo on the last page emphasizes the universality of Millo's story.
Awards
Commonwealth Club of California Book Awards (Finalist — Juvenile — 2015)
Triple Crown Awards (Nominee — 2017)
Georgia Children's Book Award (Finalist — Picturebook — 2017)
Chickadee Award (Nominee — 2017)
Asian/Pacific American Award for Literature (Honor Book — Picture Book — 2016)
Mitten Award (Honor — 2016)
Charlotte Zolotow Award (Winner — 2016)
The White Ravens (2016)
Azia Books Diversity Award (Listed)
Américas Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature (Commended Title — 2016)
Pura Belpré Award (Winner — Illustration — 2016)
CCBC Choices (The Arts — 2016)
New York Public Library Best Books: For Kids (Picture Books — 2015)
Notable Children's Book (Younger Readers — 2016)
Nerdy Book Award (Nonfiction Picture Books — 2015)
Los Angeles Public Library Best of the Year (Children's Books — 2015)
Rise: A Feminist Book Project for Ages 0-18 (Selection — 2016)
Penn GSE's Best Books for Young Readers (Selection — Picture Books — 2015)
Great Texas Mosquito List (2017)
El día de los niños / El día de los libros (K-2 — 2017)
Chicago Public Library Best of the Best: Kids (Informational Books for Younger Readers — 2015)
Lexile
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