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

Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl's Courage Changed Music by Margarita Engle. Published by HMH Books for Young Readers on March 31, 2015.

Much like the title suggests, this book is a very whimsical and dream-like story based on the true events of Millo Castro Zaldarriaga's life. She was a young Cuban girl who broke her country's taboo of drumming being a boys-only musical instrument and went on to become a famous drummer world-wide. The book tells the story of her as a young girl dreaming of the drums, constantly being told she couldn't play them by both strangers and her own father. But she never gave up and she always kept dreaming. Eventually these dreams paid off and she was able to take lessons with a professional drummer who helped her develop her natural talent and skills.

One of the best parts about this book is how it manages to subtly teach the reader about drumming as well as Cuban culture. When the narrator describes Zaldarriaga's desire to play drums they use the names of specific drums, such as the timbales. This teaches the children about the instrument and how varied it is. The narrator's description of the "cafes that look like gardens" along with the illustrations of the settings and people also give readers a good idea of what life in Cuba looks like. It definitely makes you feel present in the story, and shows what kind of things Zaldarriaga was seeing when she grew up.

The camaraderie between Zaldarriaga and her sisters was also a great part of the book. Once they realized how talented and interested she was in the drums, they immediately asked her to join a band with them. And even when their father said now, they still clearly supported her and eventually let her join the band after she was allowed to take lessons. This is a great addition to the book because it shows children how important it is to support one another when the world is letting you down.

This book would be a great tool for any music classroom, especially if the children are learning about the drums. It could be an introduction to the different type of drums, as well as a lesson on why it's important to never let anyone tell you that you can't follow your dreams.

One choice for similar books would be Can You Hear It? by William Lach. This book comes with a CD of songs and features artwork that's paired with it. It would be a great option to read-aloud and get the students involved in listening to the music and seeing how it connects to the book. I'd also suggest Let Your Voice Be Heard, which is a children's book about the famous folk musician Pete Seeger. This book also talks about overcoming adversity in the pursuit of a musical career.