My Name is Celia/Me llamo Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz/la vida de Celia Cruz

 

Do you love salsa music? I love it, and in celebration of Hispanic American Heritage Month, I am reviewing the bilingual picture book My Name is Celia/Me llamo Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz/la vida de Celia Cruz.Celia Cruz was a salsa music legend, who is known as the Queen of Salsa, and rightly so. Had she not brought her beautiful music to the United States, salsa music would not be what it is today in the U.S.

 

Celia Cruz was born in Cuba, and she grew up around beautiful music and colorful clothing, both of which influenced her singing. She came from humble beginnings; her father was a railroad worker- but their lives were filled with music that brought them much joy, despite being poor.

 

Celia was gifted at a young age and would sing songs with both African and Cuban rhythms to her family as well as neighbors. She did well in school and was encouraged by her teacher to "go into the world and sing." Celia began singing in competitions with her cousin, but some would not let her sing because of her dark skin - but that didn't discourage her! She left Cuba during the revolution, and moved to the U.S., where she became a U.S. citizen. Celia brought salsa music to America that blended rock, rumba, mambo and jazz music. Celia Cruz was so successful as a singer in America that she was honored by presidents, and became known as the Queen of Salsa.

 

My Name is Celia/Me llamo Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz/la vida de Celia Cruz is a wonderful children's book, not only because it teaches us about an important Hispanic woman in history. It's exceptional because it is a story of triumph, that educates children about a woman who crossed borders and broke boundries to pursue a talent that enriched and changed the world. The book's beautiful illustrations do a beautiful job of representing the energy that Celia brought to her music, and the descriptions of the sounds of nature and food she cooked with her family encourages children to pay attention to their surroundings to find inspiration to be creative. Most of all, it is a book that teaches children that you can overcome obstacles if you don't give up, and that is a lesson any child of color should be taught at a young age, if they are to survive and be successful in life.

 

 

My Name is Celia/Me llamo Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz/la vida de Celia Cruz

Written by: Monica Brown

Illustrated by: Rafael Lopez

Biblio Burro: A True Story from Columbia

Written & illustrated by: Jeanette Winter 

 

What would you do if there were no books available to read to your children? What if there were no libraries that gave children access to books? This was the case for many villages in Columbia, until one man decided to bring books to children who didn't have them.

Biblio Burro tells the story of a teacher in Columbia who traveled miles and miles to bring books to poor villages in Columbia that had no access to books. Luis Soriano lived in the jungles of Columbia and loved reading books. However his love of reading soon resulted in a house full of books that made it hard to live. Luis decided that he would bring the books he's read to those in villages who had none.

Luis one day then ventures out with one donkey to carry him, and another donkey to carry a crate of books to get books to children in faraway hills of Columbia. His first trip is to El Tormento, where he weathers hot sun and even a bandit who tries to rob him, but he does not let that deter him. He continues on and when he arrives at the village, he is greeted by elated children ready to receive his books.

What started with a collection of 70 books and one trip, has grown to trips every weekend, delivering more than 4,000 books to hundreds of people who would otherwise not have books to read.

Biblio Burro is a wonderful picture book with colorful and lively illustrations that brings Luis' story to life. The story not only teaches children  about giving to others, but also encourages them to value those things that we many times take for granted.

In 2010, the Biblio Burro Foundation was established to provide education and literacy to disadvantaged rural children and teens in the northern villages of Colombia. For more information about the foundation visit it's Facebook pages,  www.facebook.com/BiblioburroFoundation/info in English, or in Spanish at https://www.facebook.com/Biblioburro-32811799715/timeline/.

 

About BookBuzz4Kids.com
BookBuzz4Kids.com reviews books that celebrate culture and educate young children ages 1-10. Our mission is to celebrate children’s books that promote diversity, so that parents of all cultural, diverse backgrounds, including special needs, have a source where they can find children's books that represent them and their children. BookBuzz4Kids.com also aims to support independent self-published authors who represent write culturally diverse books.

Gazpacho for Nacho

September is Hispanic Heritage Month and to celebrate, won't you read this delightful story to your little one! Gazpacho for Nacho is a fun and educational picture book that children and adults alike will love. It is about a picky little boy named Nacho, who wants only to eat a certain food - Gazpacho, a cold tomato-based vegetable soup that originated in Andalucia, Spain.

The story begins with Nacho refusing to eat anything but Gazpacho - not meat, not fish, not even helado (ice cream)! He wants to eat Gazpacho all the time - for lunch and dinner and even for breakfast! He even tells him mother that he thinks leche (milk) and churros, a Latino pastry is for the burros (donkeys)!

Nacho's mother eventually gets fed up with Nacho's pickiness and takes Nacho to the market where she introduces him to all the veggetables that go into making Gazpacho, so that Nacho can help her to make the soup, because she's worn out from making it all the time by herself. The trip to the market brings on a love of other vegetables by Nacho, which helps him to realize that there is more to life than Gazpacho. Once he's back at home cooking Gazpacho with his mother, Nacho also realizes that he enjoys cooking!

Gazpacho for Nacho is a fun picture book to read to a child who wants to learn Spanish, and features a Spanish-English glossary at the back of the book to help parents and children who need assistance pronouncing the Spanish words. It is also a great book for parents dealing with a stubborn child that wants only to eat certain food.

The illustrations by Carolina Farias, are simply beautiful, adding to the book's humorous and fun rhyming prose. Gazpacho for Nacho is sure to be enjoyed by children and parents of all cultures. It's positive, promotes healthy eating, as well as mother and son time, and will keep you smiling throughout.

Author: Tracey C. Kyle
Illustrator: Carolina Farias