Tun-TUN-dun-TUN! Even though nobody in her Cuban-American neighborhood thinks girls should play the drums, Chavi knows she was born to drum. 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 Miami’s Calle Ocho, she decides to do something about it!
Mayra Lazara Dole’s plucky little musician will drum her way into the hearts of young readers, while Tonel’s wonderfully quirky illustrations capture Calle Ocho, its inhabitants, and celebrations heart-thumping energy.
Mayra Lazara Dole was born in Marianao, Cuba and raised in a Cuban barrio outside 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.
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 and a John S. Guggenheim Foundation Fellowship for painting and installation art. He lives and teaches in Vancouver, British Columbia.
“The exuberant text is alive with rhythms, and Chavi is a heartwarming heroine who compares favorably to other girls who think outside the box...’” — School Library Journal
“ ...Tonel depicts Miami’s famous festival with bright colors, exaggerated shapes, and proportions that match the lively words, which introduce Chavi’s extended family and ‘the largest Latino festival in the nation.’” — Booklist
"This children's story builds self-affirmation, celebrates diversity, and breaks away from stereotypes... For the adult reader, the book reinforces traditional Cuban and Latino values and captures the cultural vibrancy and energy felt in the Miami area." — MultiCultural Review
"...Dole has woven the texture of Cuban Miami into Chavi's story. The neighbor ladies give manicures in their homes. The men play dominoes in the park. The illustrations by Tonel depict Miami's famous street party in all its vibrant glory." — Miami Herald
“Confidant Chavi and Rosario make fine role models. . . It's a fun, inspiring tale." — Orange County Register
