CLAS K-12 Book Box 2: Black/Afro-Latinx identity

Margarita Engle

Photo of Margarita Engle: Jeffrey Beall, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Margarita Engle is a Cuban-American author whose books are often composed in verse and celebrate her Cuban heritage. She has received numerous awards, including the American Library Association's Pura Belpré Award, NSK Neustadt Prize for Children's Literature, the Jane Addams Children's Book Award, the Golden Kit, and the Newbery Honor. While Engle has authored over thirty books, I recommend the following for readers of Drum Dream Girl:

• A Song of Frutas
• Dancing Hands
• The Flying Girl
• Miguel's Brave Knight
• Enchanted Air
• All the Way to Havana

These books were selected because they celebrate Cuban history and culture, are generally written for the same reading level, and feature protagonists that break with tradition—patriarchal or other societal hierarchies—in pursuit of their dreams.

Rafael Lopez

Photo of Rafael Lopez: Candice Michelle Lopez, CC BY-SA 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons

Rafael Lopez is a renowned illustrator and artist. Born and raised in Mexico City, Lopez currently lives in San Diego and San Miguel de Allende, Mexico. Lopez has twice been awarded the Pura Belpré Award, as well as the Jane Addams Children's Book Award and the National Cartoonist Society Book Illustration Award. He has illustrated many books, but I recommend the following for readers of Drum Dream Girl:

• Dancing Hands (authored by Margarita Engle)
• Tito Puente Mambo King (authored by Monica Brown)
• My Name is Celia (authored by Monica Brown)

These books were selected because they have a common theme of children who are aspiring artists, and they celebrate Latin American culture, specifically Cuba and Venezuela.

Reading Is Resistance: Drum Dream Girl by Margarita Engle and Rafael Lopez

Reading is Resistance provides a lesson plan specifically designed to “start or deepen anti-bias conversations in families and other learning communities.” This lesson plan references other real-life “inspiring female drummers” such as Sheila E, Viola Smith, and Elayne Jones.

Summary

The text of Drum Dream Girl is a poem inspired by the early life of the Chinese Afro Cuban drummer Millo Castro Zaldarriaga. Within the book, she is referred to as the “drum dream girl” because her love of drum sounds is so central to her identity. Her father specifically and Cuban society generally are opposed to girls playing the drums. However, the “drum dream girl” is undeterred and pursues her dream. Her resilience is eventually rewarded when her father hires a drum teacher to assess his daughter's skills, and she subsequently demonstrates her talent and determination by performing in front of a live audience.

Groups Represented

• Chinese Afro Cuban
• Cubana

Suggested Age and Reading Level

• Grade K
• Grades 1-2

Prevalent Themes

• Determination
• Rhythm
• Family
• Equality
• Feminism/Girl Empowerment

Notable Quote

“When she walked under

wind-wavy palm trees

in a flower-bright park

she heard the whir of parrot wings

the clack of woodpecker beaks

the dancing tap

of her own footsteps

and the comforting pat

of her own

heartbeat.”

This guide was created by Jason Katsion