Bravo!: Poems About Amazing Hispanics

The intimate biographical poems in this book are narrated in the first person and feel almost like short monologues, as if we've dropped in to eavesdrop on people talking frankly about their lives. Many of the people featured in Bravo!: Poems About Amazing Hispanics demonstrate progressive values. José Martí fought for Cuba's independence from Spain. Félix Varela became a priest in New York City ministering to the Irish who'd fled famine. César Chávez organized farmworkers. And Pura Belpré became the first Spanish Children's Specialist in the New York City Public Library. But author Margarita Engle satisfies widely by showcasing a variety of disciplines, and includes a painter, a jazz musician, a baseball player, a poet, and a medical researcher. She also strikes a nice balance of men and women.

The portraits by Rafael López are stunning and evocative, each incorporating images of the subject's interests and accomplishments. For instance, birds fly around Louis Agassiz Fuertes, who painted birds, and clouds drift past Aída De Acosta, the first woman pilot. The additional notes at the end help satisfy our curiosity, but if the book has a fault, it's that it leaves us wanting to dig in more.