Rosa plays her accordion with her friends in the Oak Street Band and earns money to help her mother with expenses while her grandmother is sick.
Musica Para Todo El Mundo!/Music, Music For Everyone
Music
The Flute Player / Flautista, La
When a flute’s owner believes it to be in need of repair, a little girl blows out butterflies, an owl, two fish, a nightingale, green leaves, and a great bunch of goose feathers.
El Ruido De La Música
When Martucha’s musically talented family comes to visit, she is horrified and frustrated because of all the noise.
The Django
Jean longs to play the banjo, but the Django keeps on messing things up! So Jean sends the Django away, but wonders if he has lost his most precious inspiration.In this fictional story inspired by the famous jazz musician Jean “Django” Reinhardt, a young boy named Jean meets a special character called the Django. He’s fun and exciting, but he always gets Jean into trouble. Eventually the Django has to be sent away, and Jean misses him very much, until he discovers that he can still feel close to the Django every time he picks up his banjo.
Where Fireflies Dance / Ahí, Donde Bailan Las Luciérnagas
Vibrantly illustrated, this bilingual tale shows English and Spanish on each page. Weaving together pride in the author’s Mexican heritage with a sweetly delivered message about growing up, the story shows that each person, like the revolutionary Juan Sebastian, has a destiny to follow. Full color.
Salsa
Rita, a young girl living in New York’s El Barrio, describes the Afro-Caribbean dance music, salsa, and imagines being a salsa director.
Cheech The School Bus Driver
Why can’t all bus drivers be as cool as Cheech? When the kids on the school bus decide to enter the Battle of the Bands, no one is more excited than Cheech. On the big day, they all pile into the bus and get ready to groove! But when they arrive, they find they’re the only mariachi band in the whole contest—and the rock and roll bands look awesome! In this zany story by beloved performer Cheech Marin, the band tries every trick in the book to make their act mea-sure up—with hilarious results! How will mariachi ever compete against rock and roll?
Delicious Hullabaloo/Pachanga Deliciosa
In this poem in English and Spanish, lizards, armadillos, and other creatures of the night make merry beneath the desert moon, enjoying the strains of a mariachi band and gobbling lots of delicious food.
The Pied Piper of Hamelin
Hamelin town has a plague of rats, and if something isn’t done soon, everyone will starve. The people vow to give up everything to rid the town of the rats. And so the help of the Pied Piper is enlisted to dispose of the nasty pests. He plays a sweet tune and the rats, dancing, follow the music to their end. But when the townsfolk refuse to pay the Piper, he takes up his flute and plays an even sweeter tune. This time, it’s the town’s children who follow.
The Minstrel And The Dragon Pup
Richly colored illustrations influenced by Italian frescoes mark the story of a wandering minstrel and his search for his beloved dragon pup who, before being stolen, inspired his most joyful music.