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Summary
Summary
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.
This beautiful picture book was recognized with a Pura Belpré Honor. A strong option for those interested in women's history and Hispanic History topics.
Author Notes
Margarita Engle is a Cuban-American poet and novelist. Her books include The Wild Book, Tropical Secrets, The Firefly Letters, The Lightning Dreamer, When You Wander, Mountain Dog, and Silver People. She has received several awards including the Jane Addams Children's Book Award, the Pura Belpré Award, the Américas Award, and the Claudia Lewis Poetry Award for The Surrender Tree and the Pura Belpré Award and the Américas Award for The Poet Slave of Cuba.
(Bowker Author Biography)
Reviews (5)
School Library Journal Review
Gr 1-4-The award-winning Cuban American author has made her mark on children's literature with her powerful portrayals of little-known aspects of Cuban history, often shedding light on the Afro-Cuban experience. This work is inspired by the childhood of Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, a Chinese-African-Cuban girl who broke down traditional taboos against female drummers. López's luminous illustrations represent the island's diversity. Details of Cuba's and the protagonist's Chinese, African, Taíno, and Spanish roots are interwoven into the lyrical narrative and the vibrant acrylic paintings. © Copyright 2017. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Publisher's Weekly Review
A riot of tropical color adds sabor to the tale of Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, a Chinese-African-Cuban girl who dreams "of pounding tall conga drums,/ tapping small bongó drums/ and boom boom booming/ with long, loud sticks/ on big, round, silvery/ moon-bright timbales." Everybody in Cuba believes that only boys should play the drums, and her own father forbids her to perform, but the "drum dream girl" (as she's referred to throughout) finds her own drums, practices, and persists until her father relents and hires a teacher. Lopez's (Tito Puente, Mambo King) paintings fuse dream and reality as the girl flies through the air, drumming on the moon and making music with butterflies and birds; Engle's (Silver People) lines dance with percussive sound words and rhythmic repetition. Though an afterword reveals that Zaldarriaga later became famous enough to perform for Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt, Engle focuses on her initial struggles rather than her subsequent career. A valuable addition to the growing library of stories about strong Latina women. Ages 4-8. Author's agent: Michelle Humphrey, Martha Kaplan Agency. Illustrator's agent: Stefanie von Borstel, Full Circle Literary. (Mar.) © Copyright PWxyz, LLC. All rights reserved.
Horn Book Review
A young girl dreams of becoming a drummer. Though she lives on an island of music / in a city of drumbeats, hers is an impossible dream: only boys play drums. An appended note reveals that the story is based on Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, a Chinese-African-Cuban girl who broke Cubas traditional taboo against female drummers and in the 1930s played with her sisters in an all-female band, Anacaona. Engles poetic text takes its cues from Zaldarriagas chosen instrument, its rhythm at times steadily assured and at others loose and improvisational. Theres ear-pleasing onomatopoeia (the boom boom booming of sticks on a timbale), copious descriptive adjectives, and thoughtful alliteration, with both lots of hard ds and softer, rolling rs appearing throughout: Her hands seemed to fly / as they rippled / rapped / and pounded / all the rhythms / of her dream drums. Lpezs saturated acrylic-on-wood illustrations capture the musicality of the island (most everyone plays an instrument) and the surreal dream-images (even a mermaid is shown playing percussion) that inspire young Millo to pursue her love of drums. Warm blues and purples swirl against hot pinks and bright oranges -- every spread is full of motion, with some of the illustrations requiring a ninety-degree turn, as if the book itself has got to dance. elissa gershowitz (c) Copyright 2015. The Horn Book, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted.
Kirkus Review
Pura Belpr winner and Newbery honoree Engle, known for writing free-verse historical fiction, introduces readers to Millo Castro Zaldarriaga with this illustrated poem, inspired by her subject's childhood. Millo became a world-famous musician at quite a young age. Before fame, however, as Engle's account attests, there is struggle. Millo longs to play the drums, but in 1930s Cuba, drumming is taboo for girls, "so the drum dream girl / had to keep dreaming / quiet / secret / drumbeat / dreams." This doesn't stop Millo; she dares to let her talent soar, playing every type of drum that she can find. Her sisters invite her to join their all-girl band, but their father refuses to allow Millo to play the drums. Eventually, her father softens, connecting her with a music teacher who determines that her talent is strong enough to override the social stigma. The rhythmic text tells Millo's story and its significance in minimal words, with a lyricism that is sure to engage both young children and older readers. Lpez's illustrations are every bit as poetic as the narrative, a color-saturated dreamscape that Millo dances within, pounding and tapping her drums. Though it's not explicit in the text, her mixed Chinese-African-Cuban descent is hinted at in the motifs Lpez includes. A beautiful account of a young girl's bravery and her important contribution toward gender equality in the creative arts. (historical note) (Picture book. 3-8) Copyright Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Booklist Review
A talented young girl with a passion for drumming dreams of playing music in this upbeat story based on the life of Cuban musician Millo Castro Zaldarriaga. Told repeatedly that girls cannot be drummers, she refuses to give up, practicing in secret and delighting in every bit of music around her. A visit to an open-minded music teacher results in lessons and, eventually, the opportunity to perform in public. Vibrant, warm, and hopeful, this expressive story shows the power of perseverance and importance of following your dreams. Engle's prose flows easily, with clean but evocative language that will be accessible to a range of young readers. López's illustrations are lushly saturated with color, and the warm palette and bright tones transport readers to the tropical setting, while visible brushstrokes and layered colors bring depth to each scene. The text and illustrations work together beautifully here, creating a story that will imbue readers with inspiration and a yearning to make music of their own. An author's note provides some background on Zaldarriaga, the inspiration for this fictional story.--Hayes, Summer Copyright 2015 Booklist