Monday, February 6, 2017

My Name is Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz

My Name is Celia/Me llamo Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz/la vida de Celia Cruz
by Monica Brown, illustrated by Rafael Lopez

My Name is Celia/Me llamo Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz/la vida de Celia Cruz (Amazon / Library) is my favorite of the many children's books I've read in the last couple years. The book was so much fun to read. Rafael Lopez' illustrations are bright and colorful and perfectly capture the joy of life in Celia's music. The text perfectly captures the rhythm and cadence of Salsa.

Monica Brown takes us on a musical journey through Celia's life, starting as a young girl growing up in Cuba surrounded by the love of her large extended family, and through her adventures following her love of singing and performing. But even though she has to leave her beloved Cuba, she carries the warmth of her memories and pours them into her performances, so perfectly captured in her signature call of "Azucar!"

My Name is Celia/Me llamo Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz/la vida de Celia Cruz (Amazon / Library) is told in English and Spanish, with each on the same page, making this a great book for bi-lingual kids, or kids who are learning a second language. It's a book that's great for middle-grade readers to enjoy on their own, but it is also perfect as a book for younger kids sitting on mom or dad's lap, swaying to the music, jumping to the beat, and dancing around.

[Note: I have included Amazon Affiliate links in this post. I am exploring options for increasing my income from this blog to help me to continue to bring you the important stories of kickass women and girls. While I will always work to tell these stories, I have bills to pay. By all means feel free to look for these books elsewhere if you prefer. If you want to help support the work I do here, please consider using these links to shop.]

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