Review by Sujei Lugo
Review Source: Latinx in Kid Lit
Book Author: Margarita Engle
Girls cannot be drummers. Long ago on an island filled with music and rhythm, no one questioned that rule — until the drum dream girl. She longed to play tall congas and small bongós and silvery, moon-bright timbales. She had to practice in secret. But when at last her music was heard, everyone sang and danced and decided that boys and girls should be free to drum and dream. Continue reading.
Spanish edition: La Niña que Soñaba con Tambores
Translations
Find more recommended books on this topic on our Music, Cuba, and Afro-Latinx booklists.
Drum Dream Girl by Margarita Engle
Illustrator: Rafael Lopez
Published by Houghton Mifflin Harcourt on 2015
Genres: Asian American, Banned Books, Caribbean, Girls and Women, Music, OwnVoices
Pages: 48
Reading Level: Grade K, Grades 1-2
ISBN: 9780544102293
Review Source: Latinx in Kid Lit
Also by this author: The Sky Painter, Hurricane Dancers, Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings: A Memoir
Publisher's synopsis: "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 bongos. 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.
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