Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl’s Courage Changed Music
By Margarita Engle and Illustrated by Rafael Lopez
The story of this picture book, told in lyrical free verse, is the account of musician Millo Castro Zaldarriaga’s struggle for gender equality in 1930’s Cuba. Girls were not allowed to do many things in Cuba during that period, but Zaldarriaga was courageous and would not give up on her dream. I enjoyed the book very much. The illustrations are colorful and vibrant. This book was awarded the 2016 Charlotte Zolotow Award. It is appropriate for all ages.
The author, Margarita Engle, was trained as a botanist and agronomist before becoming a full-time poet and novelist. She lives in Central California, where she enjoys hiding in the wilderness to help train her husband’s search and rescue dogs.
Review By: Lisa Loepker