Toca Chavi toca - Drum Chavi Drum, Del Sol Books

Toca Chavi toca - Drum Chavi Drum, Hardcover, Bilingual, Book, Mayra Dole, Preschool - 2nd Grade, 9780892391868, $16.95 Out of Print :(

Tun-TUN-dun-TUN! Even though nobody in her Cuban-American neighborhood thinks girls should play the drums, Chavi knows she was born to make just this kind of music. 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 Calle Ocho—Miami’s Eighth Street—she decides to do something about it!

Mayra L. Dole’s plucky little musician will drum her way into the hearts of all young readers, who will root for her success and will add her to their list of favorite heroines. Adding to the delight and exuberance, Cuban artist Tonel’s wonderfully quirky illustrations capture Calle Ocho, its inhabitants, and celebrations in all their heart-thumping energy and splendor.

Listen to Vienna Rose read Drum Chavi Drum to you. A marvelous example of the magical encounter between a child and books that we wish for all children.

“A lot of kids are reading books such as Drum, Chavi, Drum! They help kids learn a second language and learn about another culture.” — The Washington Post

"...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

"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

School Library Journal : Kindergarten-Grade 2-Plucky Chavi is determined to play the drums on the school float during Miami's Calle Ocho parade. The only problem is that everyone, from her music teacher to her own loving mother, is convinced that because she is a girl, she cannot possibly be good enough. Chavi knows differently, and she practices on anything she can get her hands on: pans, paint cans, car hoods. She just knows she's good, and before the book is over, so does everyone else. The exuberant text is alive with rhythms, and Chavi is a heartwarming heroine who compares favorably to other girls who think outside the box, such as Ruby in Shirin Yim Bridges's Ruby's Wish (Chronicle, 2002). Tonel's cartoon illustrations, executed in watercolor, colored pencil, and pen, are bright and busy, but have an amateurish look to them. The Spanish text, which appears on the recto, is a workmanlike translation of the English, which appears on the verso. Of particular interest to libraries in Cuban communities, this title is a serviceable addition.

Booklist : Gr. 2-3. With plenty of "Tun-DUN-DUN-tun, chicky-chack-PRACK!" providing a backbeat, Dole, a Cuban-born drummer, sends a determined child hurtling over an artificial gender barrier in this bilingual book, with English and Spanish on opposite pages. Outraged when her music teacher chooses a boy to drum in the upcoming Calle Ocho Festival, Chavi dons a disguise and marches off to strut her stuff. Admiration changes to shock when a group of men discover her gender, but when other listeners express support, Chavi's disappointment turns to triumph, and it isn't long before she has the crowd moving to her quick rhythms. The type is very small. But the energetic, unsophisticated illustrations depict 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." Although the setting here is more fleshed out than that of Brian Pinkney's Max Found Two Sticks (1994), the two tales are otherwise closely akin, both in their sound-effects-laced narratives, and in their dynamic young protagonists. John Peters

Orange County Register : Confidant Chavi and Rosario make fine role models . . . It's a fun, inspiring tale.