drum dream girl essay

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Pura Belpré Medal Winner

DRUM DREAM GIRL

How one girl's courage changed music.

by Margarita Engle ; illustrated by Rafael López ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 24, 2015

A beautiful account of a young girl’s bravery and her important contribution toward gender equality in the creative arts.

Pura Belpré winner and Newbery honoree Engle, known for writing free-verse historical fiction, introduces readers to Millo Castro Zaldarriaga with this illustrated poem, inspired by her subject’s childhood.

Millo became a world-famous musician at quite a young age. Before fame, however, as Engle’s account attests, there is struggle. Millo longs to play the drums, but in 1930s Cuba, drumming is taboo for girls, “so the drum dream girl / had to keep dreaming / quiet / secret / drumbeat / dreams.” This doesn’t stop Millo; she dares to let her talent soar, playing every type of drum that she can find. Her sisters invite her to join their all-girl band, but their father refuses to allow Millo to play the drums. Eventually, her father softens, connecting her with a music teacher who determines that her talent is strong enough to override the social stigma. The rhythmic text tells Millo’s story and its significance in minimal words, with a lyricism that is sure to engage both young children and older readers. López’s illustrations are every bit as poetic as the narrative, a color-saturated dreamscape that Millo dances within, pounding and tapping her drums. Though it’s not explicit in the text, her mixed Chinese-African-Cuban descent is hinted at in the motifs López includes.

Pub Date: March 24, 2015

ISBN: 978-0-544-10229-3

Page Count: 48

Publisher: HMH Books

Review Posted Online: Dec. 5, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Dec. 15, 2014

CHILDREN'S BIOGRAPHY & MEMOIR | CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS

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More by Margarita Engle

BOOK REVIEW

by Margarita Engle ; illustrated by Olivia Sua

by Margarita Engle

THERE'S A ROCK CONCERT IN MY BEDROOM

by Kevin Jonas & Danielle Jonas ; illustrated by Courtney Dawson ‧ RELEASE DATE: March 29, 2022

Nice enough but not worth repeat reads.

Emma deals with jitters before playing the guitar in the school talent show.

Pop musician Kevin Jonas and his wife, Danielle, put performance at the center of their picture-book debut. When Emma is intimidated by her very talented friends, the encouragement of her younger sister, Bella, and the support of her family help her to shine her own light. The story is straightforward and the moral familiar: Draw strength from your family and within to overcome your fears. Employing the performance-anxiety trope that’s been written many times over, the book plods along predictably—there’s nothing really new or surprising here. Dawson’s full-color digital illustrations center a White-presenting family along with Emma’s three friends of color: Jamila has tanned skin and wears a hijab; Wendy has dark brown skin and Afro puffs; and Luis has medium brown skin. Emma’s expressive eyes and face are the real draw of the artwork—from worry to embarrassment to joy, it’s clear what she’s feeling. A standout double-page spread depicts Emma’s talent show performance, with a rainbow swirl of music erupting from an amp and Emma rocking a glam outfit and electric guitar. Overall, the book reads pretty plainly, buoyed largely by the artwork. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

Pub Date: March 29, 2022

ISBN: 978-0-593-35207-6

Page Count: 40

Publisher: Razorbill/Penguin

Review Posted Online: Feb. 8, 2022

Kirkus Reviews Issue: March 1, 2022

CHILDREN'S FAMILY | CHILDREN'S ENTERTAINMENT & SPORTS

More by Kevin Jonas

by Kevin Jonas & Danielle Jonas ; illustrated by Courtney Dawson

LITTLE MELBA AND HER BIG TROMBONE

by Katheryn Russell-Brown ; illustrated by Frank Morrison ‧ RELEASE DATE: July 1, 2014

Readers will agree that “Melba Doretta Liston was something special.” (Picture book. 4-8)

Bewitched by the rhythms of jazz all around her in Depression-era Kansas City, little Melba Doretta Liston longs to make music in this fictional account of a little-known jazz great.

Picking up the trombone at 7, the little girl teaches herself to play with the support of her Grandpa John and Momma Lucille, performing on the radio at 8 and touring as a pro at just 17. Both text and illustrations make it clear that it’s not all easy for Melba; “The Best Service for WHITES ONLY” reads a sign in a hotel window as the narrative describes a bigotry-plagued tour in the South with Billie Holiday. But joy carries the day, and the story ends on a high note, with Melba “dazzling audiences and making headlines” around the world. Russell-Brown’s debut text has an innate musicality, mixing judicious use of onomatopoeia with often sonorous prose. Morrison’s sinuous, exaggerated lines are the perfect match for Melba’s story; she puts her entire body into her playing, the exaggerated arch of her back and thrust of her shoulders mirroring the curves of her instrument. In one thrilling spread, the evening gown–clad instrumentalist stands over the male musicians, her slide crossing the gutter while the back bow disappears off the page to the left. An impressive discography complements a two-page afterword and a thorough bibliography.

Pub Date: July 1, 2014

ISBN: 978-1-60060-898-8

Publisher: Lee & Low Books

Review Posted Online: June 3, 2014

Kirkus Reviews Issue: June 15, 2014

More by Katheryn Russell-Brown

by Katheryn Russell-Brown ; illustrated by Kim Holt

by Katheryn Russell-Brown ; illustrated by Eric Velasquez

by Katheryn Russell-Brown ; illustrated by Laura Freeman

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Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl’s Courage Changed Music

Girls cannot be drummers . Long ago on an island filled with music, no one questioned that rule—until the drum dream girl. In her city of drumbeats, she dreamed of pounding tall congas and tapping small bongós. She had to keep quiet. She had to practice in secret. But when at last her dream-bright music was heard, everyone sang and danced and decided that both girls and boys should be free to drum and dream. Inspired by the childhood of Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, a Chinese-African-Cuban girl who broke Cuba’s traditional taboo against female drummers, Drum Dream Girl tells an inspiring true story for dreamers everywhere.

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Drum dream girl: how one girl’s courage changed music, common sense media reviewers.

Gorgeous, magical story of a girl with music in her heart.

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this book.

An inspiring example of the hard work and persiste

Nurture your dreams, even when you're surrounded b

The girl is brave and undeterred, and she doesn’t

Parents need to know that Drum Dream Girl -- written by poet Margarita Engle ( The Poet Slave of Cuba ) and beautifully illustrated by Rafael Lopez ( Book Fiesta! ) -- is based on the true story of a young girl who broke down barriers for female drummers in Cuba in the 1930s. Her father at first…

Educational Value

An inspiring example of the hard work and persistence needed to turn talent and passion into skill. An author's note explains the story is inspired by Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, who broke Cuba's taboo against female drummers in the 1930s and went on to become a famous musician.

Positive Messages

Nurture your dreams, even when you're surrounded by naysayers.

Positive Role Models

The girl is brave and undeterred, and she doesn’t let people discourage her. The girl’s father changes his mind and allows her to take lessons, and her teacher encourages her talent.

Parents Need to Know

Parents need to know that Drum Dream Girl -- written by poet Margarita Engle ( The Poet Slave of Cuba ) and beautifully illustrated by Rafael Lopez ( Book Fiesta! ) -- is based on the true story of a young girl who broke down barriers for female drummers in Cuba in the 1930s. Her father at first admonishes her, but he has a change of heart and eventually warmly supports her. Drum Dream Girl won the 2016 Pura Bulpre Illustrator Award honoring a Latino illustrator whose children’s book best portrays, affirms, and celebrates the Latinx cultural experience.

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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 : Margarita Engle
• Illustrator : Rafael Lopez
• Genre : Picture Book
• Topics : Magic and Fantasy , Great Girl Role Models , 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, iBooks, Kindle
• Award : ALA Best and Notable Books
• Last updated : July 12, 2017

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Drum Dream Girl

Review by sujei lugo.

Girls cannot be drummers. Long ago on an island filled with music and rhythm, no one questioned that rule — until the drum dream girl. She longed to play tall congas and small bongós and silvery, moon-bright timbales. She had to practice in secret. But when at last her music was heard, everyone sang and danced and decided that boys and girls should be free to drum and dream. Continue reading .

Spanish edition:   La Niña que Soñaba con Tambores

Translations

• Mandarin Translation of  Drum Dream Girl
• Spanish Translation of  Drum Dream Girl

Publisher's synopsis: "Girls cannot be drummers." Long ago on an island filled with music, no one questioned that rule--until the drum dream girl. In her city of drumbeats, she dreamed of pounding tall congas and tapping small bongos. She had to keep quiet. She had to practice in secret. But when at last her dream-bright music was heard, everyone sang and danced and decided that both girls and boys should be free to drum and dream. Inspired by the childhood of Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, a Chinese-African-Cuban girl who broke Cuba's traditional taboo against female drummers, Drum Dream Girl tells an inspiring true story for dreamers everywhere.

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Drum Dream Girl Poem Study Guide

Description

SuperSummary’s Poem Study Guide for “Drum Dream Girl” by Margarita Engle provides text-specific content for close reading, engagement, and the development of thought-provoking assignments. Review and plan more easily with poet biography, literary device analysis, essay topics, and more.

Note: This rich poem-study resource for teacher and student support does not contain  activities, quiz or discussion questions. For ready-to-use classroom materials, please consider one of our poem units , which provide teachers with strategic comprehension and literary device questions, discussion starters, writing prompts, and creative pre-built activities. We also offer a variety of other Unit products (Novel Unit, Play Unit, Short Story Unit).

STUDY GUIDE

Delve into the easy-to-navigate 20-page guide for “Drum Dream Girl” poem analysis, literary devices, and other sections. Build rich lessons on the poem’s multiple symbols, motifs, and themes such as “Gender Roles in Cuban Music” and “Island Life”.

Featured content also includes:

• Comprehensive biography of the poet
• 4 literary devices
• 3 curated further reading suggestions & multimedia resources
• Contextual Analysis section with 2 contextual lenses 

✏️ How to use:  

Created to provide a thorough review and to support students’ deep understanding of “Drum Dream Girl” , our literature guide quickly refreshes teachers on the poet’s life as well as essential themes, symbols and motifs. The contents of the guide provide a strong framework for helping students understand a poem and place it in context through close reading, examination of literary devices, and outside resources that help students further unpack its meaning and value.

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Drum Dream Girl

18 pages • 36 minutes read

A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.

Poem Analysis

Symbols & Motifs

Literary Devices

Further Reading & Resources

Discussion Questions

Form and Meter

Drum Dream Girl is a narrative poem that describes how a historical figure—Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, a Chinese-African-Cuban drummer—subverts gender roles in Cuban music in the 1920s and 1930s. Engle’s poem is written in free-verse; there is no set meter , line length, or stanza length. Most of the 105 lines are short (contain few syllables); some contain only a single-syllable word. The poem’s 21 stanzas range from two lines to ten lines long.

Formal elements can be seen in the conversation between Engle’s poetry and Rafael López’s illustrations. Words only take up a small portion of the pages in the children’s book. Most stanzas are given two adjacent pages, which are filled with illustrations. The first time two adjacent pages feature two stanzas, one on each page, is the moment in the poem when the girl begins to take music lessons. The text about her finally being able to play music with another person is reflected by two stanzas coming together in the same spread of pages, as well as in López’s illustrations of the teacher and student working together.

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Drum Dream Girl

(2015) 7 min. DVD: $38.99. Dreamscape Media. PPR. Closed captioned. ISBN: 978-1-52001-321-3. Volume 32, Issue 2

by J. Williams-Wood

March 11, 2017

Rating: 3.5 of 5

Based on the 2016 Pura Belpré Award-winning picture book by author Margarita Engle and illustrator Rafael Lopez, this iconographic adaptation is loosely inspired by the life of little-known Chinese-African-Cuban musician Millo Castro Zaldarriaga. A salsa-fied soundtrack accompanies the vibrant colors and surreal scenes (which include the unnamed titular character floating with butterfly wings, and a watchful moon with pink cheeks) in Drum Dream Girl , which tells the story of a girl who lives on an “island of music” but must keep her appreciation of conga, bongo, and timbales under wraps due to sexism. Following her need to keep the beat—in scenes of animals and nature, outdoor cafes, and carnivals—the narrative finds the girl finally joining her sisters' all-female dance band after their father agrees to a music teacher, who is impressed with the youngster's raw talent. Also including a read-along option and a featurette on the real Zaldarriaga (who at 15 played at a birthday party for President Franklin Delano Roosevelt), this inspirational tale—winner of the Andrew Carnegie Medal for Excellence in Children's Video and an ALSC Notable Children's Video selection—is highly recommended. Aud: K, E, P. ( J. Williams-Wood ).

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