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Tun-TUN-dun-TUN!
Even though nobody in her Cuban-American neighborhood thinks girls should
play the drums, Chavi knows she was born to make just this kind of music.
And the whole world is her instrument: she drums on paint cans, sofa arms,
even on her mother’s cheeks. Her favorites, however, are the tumbadoras,
the conga drums that liven the Caribbean music she and her neighbors love.
So, when she’s not picked to play on the school float for the festival
on Calle Ocho—Miami’s Eighth Street—she decides
to do something about it!
Mayra L. Dole’s plucky little musician will drum her way into the
hearts of all young readers, who will root for her success and will add
her to their list of favorite heroines. Adding to the delight and exuberance,
Cuban artist Tonel’s wonderfully quirky illustrations capture Calle
Ocho, its inhabitants, and celebrations in all their heart-thumping
energy and splendor.
Mayra L. Dole was born in Marianao, Cuba and raised in a Cuban barrio
minutes from Miami. Her mother says that, minutes after birth, Mayra made
drumming gesture with her little hands. Later, as an adult, she played
the Senegalese djembe drum in a women’s band. She has also
been a dancer, landscape designer, and hairdresser, and now is a prolific
writer and spokesperson for the differently abled. Drum, Chavi, Drum!
is her first published book.
Tonel is a visual artist and art critic who was born in Havana, Cuba,
where he illustrated several children’s books. His work for grownups
has been exhibited in North and South America, the Caribbean, and Europe.
He received a Rockefeller Foundation Fellowship in the Humanities (1997—1998)
and a John S. Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship for painting and installation
art (1995). He now lives in California and teaches at Stanford University.
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Full-color illustrations throughout 
