My Name is Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz by Monica Brown (1bk)

Brown, Monica. (2004). Illustrated by Rafael Lopez. My name is Celia: the life of Celia
Cruz=me llamo Celia: la vida de Celia Cruz. Flagstaff, Arizona: Luna Rising.
34 pages. ISBN 10: 0-87358-872-X

Award: Pura Belpre Honor Books: 2006

Genre: Picture Book Biography

Content area: art/social studies

Grade level: 2nd-4th

Credibility of author: The author gave thanks to Dr. Carl Gutierrez-Jones, the Rockefeller Foundation, and the Center for Chicano Studies at U.C. Santa Barbara for their support.

Summary: This book is a colorful, bilingual biography of the life of Cuban-born salsa singer, Celia Cruz. Its rhythmic, up-beat style traces her life from a childhood of poverty in Havana, Cuba through citizenship in America, world-wide fame, and finally, her death on July 16, 2003. Celia’s love for life is reflected throughout the book in both the text and the illustrations.

Standards: National Social Studies –Culture I; People, Places, & Environment III

Illustrations: luminous acrylic paintings in the form full-page murals using bold, vivid colors and symbolism

Text structure: first person narrative

Tone: conversational and upbeat

Voice: The author communicates Celia Cruz’s passion for her singing. While reading this book, one can feel the author’s fascination with Celia’s zest for life.

Language: The author uses a lot of vivid imagery, up-beat rhythmic phrasing, and descriptive language with onomatopoeias and alliteration. It is a bilingual Latino storybook.

Access features: Information and dedication pages on Celia Cruz written in English and Spanish

Use: I would use this book as a read aloud first in order for children to hear and enjoy the up-beat rhythm. Then, children could read it independently and compare/contrast the English and Spanish languages. It could be used in a music class for background information on Salsa music. It would be a great book to use during Hispanic Heritage Month from September 15-October 15.

Response: The text and illustrations couldn’t have been a better match. This was a happy book where you could just naturally feel the rhythm as you read, even if you didn’t have a musical bone in your body. The illustrations were vibrant and conveyed so much meaning. The fact that it was a teacher who urged Celia to “share her voice with the world” also reminded me of the influence teachers have on children’s lives. Reading this book made me want to investigate and learn more about the life of Mrs. Celia Cruz.

Related texts: Cesar: Si Se Puede!=Yes We Can! is another biography that shares the theme of inspiration. The main characters in both books started out from humble beginnings and became well known. It also mixes English and Spanish throughout the book.