Margarita EngleAnmeldelser

This is a story of a young girl named Teresa, who got to play the piano for President Lincoln. Her parents introduced her to music, her father called Teresa’s hands “ahhpy hands”. Playing the piano did not come easily to Teresa because of her dyslexia. Although it was challenging, playing music gave her joy. By six and seven she was writing her own music and playing in beautiful capels. When she turned eight, a war turned her life upside down. Teresa and her parents had to immigrate on a ship to the United States. This made Teresa feel lost and homesick. She didn’t know how she was going to be able to share and play music ever again. This was during the Civil War, so there was fighting in the US too. Teresa comes to the realization that music can be people together and break down barriers. Because of this she practiced playing all different kinds of music and she became a big name in cities around her. She began traveling to play music and got to play for Abraham Lincoln. In Washington DC, there was a lot of pain from the people present from the war. All Teresa wanted to do was heal these people with her music. When she played for Lincoln, the music was poorly tuned but she still got to play his favorite song despite the challenging piano. From then on she always felt the courage to play music to give courage, despite the challenges she faces with her dyslexia.

I think this is a great book to have in a primary classroom as an option to read. I don't think a lot of formal discussion needs to be had about this story but I love that it is a true story and I think students might find it interesting.

This book would be good for primary students. This book is "Drum Dream Girl" written by Margarita Engle, illustrated by Rafael Lopez, and published in 2015. This book is about a girl who always dreamt of playing the drums, but she is not allowed to because she is a girl. This book goes through her journey of defying the gender norms and she gets her dream in the end. This book would be good to teach people that they can do anything they set their mind to, no matter what society says you can or cannot do if you are able to.

This book is great for students at a beginner or intermediate level. It is about a girl who loves to play the drums but lives in a place where only boys are allowed to play. However, she impresses her music teacher and continues to prove people wrong throughout the book by showing that girls can also play the drums. I would introduce this book to my classroom to show my students what it can be like to overcome adversity and learn more about music culture.

This book was a great, easy, and informational read. I think it works great in order to teach children about important icons and people in latin american history without all the long biographies of their lives. It highlights their lives as young children as well as their achievements as adults. Great read!

This book is a poem book related to the fight for independence in Cuba. This poem book reveals beautiful pieces of Cubas troubled past that focus on hidden moments in time. This poetry book is great for 3-8th grade because it can help students in literature and writing while focusing on culture.

This collection of poems are all about hispanic leaders and artists. It is vibrantly illustrated in multimedia drawings depicting the subjects and their work. Most poems would be good for all grades, some have heavier topics in them(abuse, death, etc). Would be a great way to introduce Hispanic heritage month.

"Someday, our island's future
will be as powerful
as an elephant,
because souls, the poet
assures us, have no color,
and our shared hopes can rise up
to soar across any ocean
or border.". page 60

I loved the concept, and the writing was good, but almost every poem was by a different character. It was very confusing keeping up with who was whole when some of them were mentioned again in later poems. I didn't feel anything for most of the characters somce they only had one poem each. I think this book would've been more impactful if the author had chosen a few characters (and historical figures) to write poems about instead of introducing a new character in nearly every poem.

Also, I'm not sure what I was expecting (or if I mixed this book up with another one) but I was under the impression that the poems would actually be written by diferent Latino authors.

I honestly don't get why this book has received so much critical acclaim. The subject matter was very interesting, yes, (I didn't know Jewish refugees from the Holocaust were turned away from New York harbors and sent to Cuba) but the writing was not what I would call top-notch, especially for poetry. The voices of the different characters were not distinct. It didn't strike me as especially beautiful or moving. In fact, one of the first stanzas made me cringe:

"My parents are musicians--/poor people, not rich." (p. 6)

Really? Isn't "not rich" what "poor" means? I know I'm getting all up on my high horse here, but poetry should be precise. There should be no wasted words. The ability to fit so much meaning into so few words is what sets poetry apart and makes it great. Sadly, this book read like flowery prose with shortened lines.

Lushly illustrated biography of a Venezuelan refugee girl with an extraordinary talent that eventually was invited to play piano for President Lincoln in the White House.

131

Independent Reading Level Grades (K-2)
Newbery Honor Book
Pura Belpre and Americas Awards

Representation: Native American character, Latino character

7/10, it was ok but nothing too remarkable. The characters were fine however the plot was somewhat interesting, it was essentially the characters' experience of building the Panama Canal but it could use some improvements here and there. I liked Mateo and Henry out of all the people in the book because in their perspectives in the story they were treated as second class workers just because they weren't white but I'm not surprised, this was before desegregation and more equal human rights so that plot point was understandable. I don't have anything to say about Anita who was a Native American medicine girl and that was the only characteristic of her. The perspectives of the trees and animals of the forest were intriguing at first but they lost their charm and became dull and repetitive it should have been cut off during the editing process of the book. In the end, Mateo, Henry, and Anita all reflect on the completion of the Panama Canal and what it took to get it done, that was a good ending I suppose. If you like an easy yet interesting read about an obscure part of history or you like verse novels this is the book for you.

A young girl plays the drums. However, she is told by everyone including her father that girls don't play the drums. She has to overcome this stigmatism about boys only playing the drums.

46

Beautiful cover! I liked reading a story set primarily in Costa Rica (and later Cuba). The story has a mixture of lightheartedness while dealing with such serious situations, climate migrants and deforestation.

Dariel’s the son of celebrities and has a magical voice. I adored the fact he has like a Disney princess voice with the way animals flock to him whenever he sings. It felt like a bit of magical realism, which I love.

Soleida has been uprooted and left hurting, living as a recent refugee. She no longer has an anchor and continually worries about her parents’ safety. It felt unclear to me, but but Vivi was either lost at sea or died. Most likely the latter, but I don’t know.

I thought the insta-lovey connection between Dariel and Soleida made sense. They’re teenagers who think they’ve found someone who understands them. The smiles and kisses followed quickly. Despite this, I didn’t feel anything toward them. The characters felt flat, and I don’t know if that’s attributed to them or just the story being in verse. But I’ve connected to characters written in verse before.

The ending is farfetched (this is a gauge for your cynicism), but everything is wrapped up nicely with a bow. This is Hallmark-level cute and ends with a unique, probing question.

"No giant or dragon
is bigger or stronger
than the human imagination."

Engle's poems about Miguel's youth and young adulthood - constantly on the move because of his father's debts - are illuminated beautifully by Colón's watercolor and pen and ink artwork, soft, dreamy colors with delicate cross-hatching ever so slightly reminiscent of Maurice Sendak's.

Back matter includes an author's note, illustrator's note, historical note, biographical note, and "Don Quixote, A Cultural Icon."

Carle Museum horse exhibit

I was expecting sometime semi-autobiographical, expecially given that the poet in this story is a real person, Gabriela Mistral. It's not that, though. It's just a story of a girl and her summer learning poetry and trying to reunite an elephant family. It's lovely but random.

This book was such a surprise! I couldn't believe how much information was packed into 32 pages. I had never encountered tanka poetry before, and I appreciated that the explanation of the form was on the first page rather than in the back matter. It included the history and tradition, as well as the modern application. This book was a string of tanka poems telling the story of a family of orangutans. Through minimal language, Margarita Engle showed us a day in the life of three generations of orangutans. Their movement, their interactions with their human caretakers and the environment, and their relationship to each other was so simply and effectively communicated that I feel like I spent the day with them in person. Renee Kurilla's simple color palette kept the focus on the characters and lent movement to the composition of the pages. This is a GREAT book to teach a poetic form within the context of engaging science and conservation.

First sentence: This is the true story of Destiny, a brave little sloth who did not let an injured eye keep her from learning how to be free in the rainforest.

Premise/plot: NONFICTION PICTURE BOOK. Narrative nonfiction. Destiny is a rescued baby sloth who was able to be returned to the wild. That's the quick story. What you see is exactly what you get with this one.

My thoughts: I loved this one. I loved THE PHOTOS. I loved the story. It was just a treat to read this one. It was so heartwarming. Yes, I know that gets overused. But how could your heart not melt when reading this story? When seeing these adorable pictures? It's a feel-good read.

A homage to the classic beauty, perseverance, and family loyalty of Cubans, "All the Way to Havana" is the story of a family car and its trip to visit family. It isn't perfect, but it is theirs. I didn't know that due to the political climate, many of the American cars on the island are pre-1959 and so parts have been replaced numerous times! Talk about cool!

The illustrations were also done combining pencil drawings, paintings, and textures from photographs. Yeah I can't even begin to capture anything (let alone a '54 Chevy!!) this way.

This book is perfect for those who love transportation books or for those who love a family story of ingenuity and heritage.

VERY deserving of the Pura Belpre award for Best Illustration. The story of Teresa and her leaving Venezuela is inspiring. It's a story so relevant you forget that it took place in the 1850s and 60s. Through music, she sought to bring healing to a divided nation. She played for Abraham Lincoln! Today, playing for a president is so divisive. How nice it would be to go back to the times of Teresa Carreno.

The illustrations are gorgeous! They are bright and colorful. They are used, in my opinion, as a way to depict Latin culture (which we associate with color and flowers) and show just how much she brought vibrancy to a saddened, a blue and gray, nation.

A very interesting compilation of Hispanic history from the 1400s to modern day America. Insight into the life of the conqueror and the conquered. The reminder that these Latin American countries hated their neighbors. That there are other peoples (besides African Americans) who suffered abuses of power and segregation.

I feel I want to discover more! For readers who need a nonfiction text, this is an excellent choice! Fantastic author behind this work. All of the different points of view worked. And really are necessary for an accurate tale to be told.

The pictures have bright colors.
Everyone looks happy

So many poetic elements
Music is a big part of their culture

Only boys can play drums, but the girl loved to play drums so when she would dream she would imagine her playing the drums.

Based on a true story of a Cuban girl who broke Cuban tradition to drum and started in an all girl dance band.

This book could be used for k-3. This story follows a little girl who really wants to play the drums, but she lives in a community where only boys are allowed to play. When a music teacher is impressed with her skills he continues to teach her until she is able to prove to everyone else that girls can play drums too. This book could be used in a number of ways in the classroom. I could be used to teach about determination and empowerment, and it could also be used to teach about music and culture.

I read Bravo! Poems About Amazing Hispanics back in September for Hispanic Heritage Month. This brightly colored picture book contains short poem-bios of notable Hispanic figures from history (many of which I had not heard about) written by Margarita Engle and illustrated by Rafael Lopez. I've enjoyed every book I've read from Engle and know her to be a notable Hispanic author of Hispanic books for kids. This was no exception, and I learned a lot from this book, and want to learn more about the people in it. Highly recommended.
Trigger warnings (that I remember): racism, discrimination, poverty, sexism, injustice.