MY NAME IS CELIA: The Life Of Celia Cruz/ ME LLA

Beginning with a resounding "SUGAR!" the story of Cuban songstress/Salsa Queen Celia Cruz is told in both English and Spanish. Surrounded by Lopez's brilliant illustrations—and I do mean brilliant both in terms of composition as well as color/vividness of detail—the text of the piece begins with Cruz introducing herself to readers through the particulars of her voice and music. "My voice feels like feet skipping on cool wet sand, like running under a waterfall, like rolling down a hill. My voice climbs and rocks and dips and flips with the sounds of congas beating and trumpets blaring." This dual attention to detail allows young readers to enter Celia's life as she becomes a well-known singer in her homeland of Cuba, then move with her to New York City and then Miami where she and other musicians like Tito Puente, Johnny Pacheco, and Willie Colon create a new type of music called salsa. "Together we brought a new music to the Americas—salsa—a music that blended rock with rumba, mambo with jazz. Junto trajimos una neuva musica a America, la salsa, una musica que mezclaba el rock con la rumba, el mom con el jazz." This book is an important addition to any library, especially if one is looking to add to a section on Latina/o influences in America. 2004, Luna Rising, Ages 8 to 12.