Oye, Celia! [Hardcover]

Katie Sciurba (Author), Edel Rodriguez (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 8 and up | Grade Level: P and up

A celebration of Celia Cruz, the legendary Queen of Salsa

A little girl carries her favorite record with her to an impromptu neighborhood dance party and calls out for her favorite singer. “Oye, Celia!” she shouts. And as she dances she tells Celia what she hears in her singing—loss, passion, sadness, happiness, history, and more.

Oye, Celia! is a beautiful, rhythmic tribute to the Queen of Salsa—Celia Cruz. The personal telling, in a blend of English and Spanish, and the marvelously expressive illustrations will make this book irresistible to Celia’s many fans and even to those who aren’t familiar with her music.

 

Oye, Celia! is a 2008 Bank Street - Best Children's Book of the Year.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Grade 3–5—"When I hear you, I hear la alegría—/Your happiness, my happiness,/Our happiness." A young girl's brief and heartfelt tribute to the "Queen of Salsa" joins the language of the art to the rhythm of the music. Each page vibrates with bold movement and a warm palette accented with black in a swirl of pastels, acrylics, ink, and spray paint. This artistic tribute, sprinkled with Spanish words, also educates with short descriptions of guaguancó improvisation, flamenco, rumba, and Cruz's unique salsa style, ending with a shrine to her on the back cover. Pair this title with Veronica Chambers's Celia Cruz, Queen of Salsa (Dial, 2005) and Monica Brown's My Name Is Celia/Me llamo Celia (Luna Rising, 2004) to demonstrate the impact of Cruz's musical genius and stylistic innovation.—Mary Elam, Forman Elementary School, Plano, TX
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

From Booklist

In this tribute to salsa superstar Celia Cruz (who died in 2003), poetic lines written from a fan's perspective hint at the deep, personal connection the singer forged with her audience, particularly fellow Cubans ("When I hear you, I hear la gente-- / Your people, my people, / Our people"). Heartfelt as the text might be, its prayerlike tone does little to evoke salsa's hip-shimmying rhythms, a particular problem given the absence of a discography. And context for biographical and cultural references is awkwardly incorporated into the appended Spanish glossary. However, forceful pictures by Cuban-born Rodriguez, locating its Latina narrator in 1950s-era Havana, convey the singer's powerful presence and warmly interpret salsa's Caribbean rhythms. For children who come to the book assuming that salsa is a dip for chips, Victoria Chambers' Celia Cruz, Queen of Salsa (2005) offers a clearer portrait of the performer. But libraries supporting Cuban American communities will find a warm reception for this title and may also wish to consider Ivar Da Coll's Azucar! (2005)--a Cruz-themed picture book written in Spanish. Jennifer Mattson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 8 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt and Co. (BYR); 1st edition (March 29, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0805074686
• ISBN-13: 978-0805074680
• Product Dimensions: 11.1 x 8.7 x 0.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,819,957 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

I grew up in L.A., where I lived with my parents and three younger sisters. I always liked to write and tell stories, and I loved to draw. During college, while studying in Spain, I wrote my first children's story in Spanish, "El Oso Despierto" ("The Wide-Awake Bear"). Even though it wasn't published, it made me realize how much I wanted to become an author.

I moved to New York and completed my MFA in Writing for Children. During this time I wrote OYE, CELIA!: A SONG FOR CELIA CRUZ. My intention was to pay tribute to Celia, whose profound song lyrics prove that salsa is even more than a dance. And don't I know it!

While the book was in progress, I taught 4th and 5th grades in the Bronx. (I really miss my students, too.) I had fun reading OYE, CELIA! to them and showing them copies of Edel Rodriguez's first sketches for the book.

Now I am living in sunny California while I work on my PhD in English Education. I also teach college students. This is a lot of work, but I squeeze in writing and dancing time whenever I can.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Lovely poetic homage., April 27, 2007

By 

Amy Kathleen RYan "Writer and reader of YA fi... (New York, NY) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Oye, Celia! (Hardcover)

This book celebrates Celia Cruz's life with the reverence this remarkable singer deserves. It's a wonderful book, not only for fans of Celia Cruz, but also for those families and libraries seeking to foster an appreciation for the vibrant latino culture in the Americas.

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Beautifully done!, April 21, 2007

By 

F. Gibson "nursing mama" (Manchester, CT United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Oye, Celia! (Hardcover)

Though this book is targeted for the early elementary grades, my son, who is 22 months old, LOVES it! The text is rhythmic, engaging, and allows for different layers of depth of conversationg depending on the age of the child. The illustrations are sophisticated and add further layers of complexity to the text. I disagree very strongly with the Booklist review that says that suggests the text does little to invoke the rhythms of salsa. First, the sounds of salsa clearly resonate in the text. Second, the comment seems to come from a limited understanding of salsa music and salsa rhythms. This book is my new "everyone gets this as a birthday gift" for the children in my life!

1 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This book allows Celia to live on forever!!, January 29, 2010

By 

Melissa Lopez (LA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Oye, Celia! (Hardcover)

Oye Celia is a beautifully written book both for adults and children, it brings to life an iconic woman who has touched the lives of many many people across the world. The integration of Spanish language and words in Celia's songs make this book especially beautifully. I hope that you will all purchase this book for you and others, it is truly a book to be treasured!!! I am grateful that generations of little ones will come to learn of this important woman Celia thru the use of Katie's poetic words!