Monica Brown (author)
Monica Brown is an English professor at the Northern University of Arizona. She is the author of many award-winning children's and picture books. Coming from a multicultural background herself, Monica seeks to create children's literature that is diverse and inclusive of many cultural experiences. She is Mestiza on her mother's side, and took many trips to her mother's home country of Peru to visit family. Both of her parents also have Jewish heritage, and Monica converted to Judaism in her adult life.
Rafael López (illustrator)
Rafael López is a professional illustrator who was born in Mexico and splits his time between his home country and a loft in San Diego. He has illustrated many award-winning children's books and created USPS stamp designs as well as campaign posters for Barack Obama during both of his presidential campaign terms. He does graphic design work with many large companies such as Apple and the New York Times. He values diversity in his work and pulls his inspirations from his Mexican culture and heritage.
"When I sang my body would fill with the rhythms of Africa and mix with the Spanish sounds of my Cuban mother tongue."
"Cuando cantaba, mi cuerpo se llenaba de los ritmos africanos mezclados con el idioma español de mi patria."
Sugarcane and the growth of slavery: Read more about Cuba's sugarcane on https://www.britannica.com
Salsa owes its roots to several forms of Latin music, but son Cubano is at the core of all salsa music.
Azúcar | sugar |
Escuela | school |
Cantando | singing |
Reina | Queen |
Bailar | to dance |
Voz | voice |
Conmigo |
with me |
Regalo de musica | the gift of music |
Mezclados | mixture |
Concursos | concerts |
Summary
Suggested Age and Reading Level
Prevalent Themes