Common Sense Media Review
By Darienne Stewart
,
based on child development research. How do we rate?
Gorgeous, magical story of a girl with music in her heart.
Parents Need to Know
Why Age 3+?
Any Positive Content?
Where to Read
Parent and Kid Reviews
What's the Story?
A young African Chinese Cuban girl hears drumbeats all around her, including in her heart. But she's repeatedly told that girls cannot play drums in Cuba, so she plays her bongo drum alone but dreams of playing freely and in public. Her father refuses to let her play with her sisters' band, but eventually he allows her to have drum lessons. The girl's teacher marvels at her skill and urges her on until finally she plays for an enthusiastic audience in a starlit garden café.
Is It Any Good?
Musical text and sumptuous illustrations honor the story of a young girl who wouldn't take no for an answer. Boys and girls will find encouragement to hold fast to their own dreams in this entrancing collaboration by Cuban American poet Margarita Engle and illustrator Rafael Lopez.
Engle's poem depicts Cuba as "the island of music" and beautifully describes the girl's "quiet secret drumbeat dreams." Keeping her drumming to herself leaves her isolated. It's only when she can share her passion that she seems fully engaged with those around her. Lopez uses rich, warm hues to blend scenes of Cuban life (joyful musicians at a café, costumed dancers on stilts) with fantastic dreamscapes (the girl playing drums as a mermaid in the sea or climbing a tower of drums to beat her rhythm on the very moon). It's a book to treasure.
Talk to Your Kids About ...
Families can talk about the idea that only boys should play drums. Can you think of anything that people today think is only for boys or only for girls? Do you think that's reasonable or unfair?
Look through the illustrations. Which are realistic scenes, and which have dreamlike imagery?
Do you hear drumming rhythms around you, as the girl hears in her footsteps and heartbeat?
Book Details
- Author :
- Illustrator : Rafael Lopez
- Genre : Picture Book
- Topics : Fantasy ( Magic ) , Arts ( Music and Sing-Along )
- Book type : Fiction
- Publisher : HMH Books for Young Readers
- Publication date : March 31, 2015
- Publisher's recommended age(s) : 3 - 9
- Number of pages : 48
- Available on : Hardback, Apple Books, Kindle
- Award : ALA Best and Notable Books
- Last updated : September 30, 2025
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