From School Library Journal
Grade 1-3–Fans of
Drum, Chavi, Drum (Children's Book Press, 2003) will welcome the further adventures of this uninhibited eight-year-old, and first-time readers will be engaged by the Miami ambience and the strong characters. Here, Chavi sets out to create the perfect
quinceañerafor her friend Rosario's older sister. Lazarita is distressed when her loving, but unemployed father tells her that they simply cannot afford the requisite big party. In realistic fashion, the teen does know, but she throws a fit anyway. Chavi, determined to put on a bash to remember, drafts adults and children throughout the barrio, even using a bit of healthy competition and a good cause, to bring her ideas to reality. Dole's prose, in both English and Spanish, is exuberant, making use of colloquial expressions that reflect the nature of the Cubano neighborhoods of Miami. Tonel's watercolor cartoons, though inconsistent and a bit amateurish, are equally bright and fresh. The use of different typefaces and sounds ("Gum-dum-beep-beep! Chacky-chacky-beep-beep!") makes this story visually interesting and fun to read aloud. Use it with Diane Hoyt-Goldsmith's
Celebrating a Quinceañera (Holiday, 2002) for a nonfiction extension on an important Hispanic celebration.
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K-Gr. 3. The sister of Chavi's friend Rosario longs for an elaborate
quinceanera, the traditional party for 15-year-old Latinas. Unfortunately, Lazarita's father has lost his job and can't afford such a celebration. With Chavi's leadership and contributions by the neighbors, Lazarita celebrates her "
quince" with a joyous block party with plenty of good food, music, and dancing. Chavi is a strong, intelligent, and resourceful protagonist. Her ingenious efforts to organize a party not only demonstrate her skills but also a strong sense of her Cuban American neighborhood in Miami. Tonel, also the illustrator of Mayra Dole's
Drum, Chavi, Drum! (2003), offers cartoonlike watercolors full of good-natured, unstoppable enthusiasm. One small flaw: since Chavi and Rosario are inseparable and appear together on every spread, it's impossible to know who is who. The bilingual text is visually playful with occasional color and font changes; the Spanish is colloquial and reads as if it were spoken language. A good choice, both for the heroine's can-do attitude and because, for a change, adults are seen following the lead of wise children.
Julie KlineCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
