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When Angels Sing: The Story of Rock Legend Carlos Santana
Carlos Santana loved to listen to his father play el violín. It was a sound that filled the world with magic and love and feeling and healing—a sound that made angels real. Carlos wanted to make angels real, too. So he started playing music.
Carlos tried el clarinete and el violín, but there were no angels. Then he picked up la guitarra. He took the soul of the Blues, the brains of Jazz, and the energy of Rock and Roll, and added the slow heat of Afro-Cuban drums and the cilantro-scented sway of the music he’d grown up with in Mexico. There were a lot of bands in San Francisco but none of them sounded like this. Had Carlos finally found the music that would make his angels real?
Carlos tried el clarinete and el violín, but there were no angels. Then he picked up la guitarra. He took the soul of the Blues, the brains of Jazz, and the energy of Rock and Roll, and added the slow heat of Afro-Cuban drums and the cilantro-scented sway of the music he’d grown up with in Mexico. There were a lot of bands in San Francisco but none of them sounded like this. Had Carlos finally found the music that would make his angels real?
48 pages, Hardcover
Published September 4, 2018
2 people are currently reading
232 people want to read
About the author
Michael James Mahin
4 books7 followersMichael Mahin has loved music since his grandmother gave him his first piano lesson at the age of five. Like Carlos Santana, he believes that music fills the world with magic and love and feeling and healing. He is the author of Muddy: The Story of Blues Legend Muddy Waters and enjoys writing books about people who use their creativity to make the world a better place. He lives in San Diego, California, with his wife, two kids, and several guitars he wishes he played better.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 136 reviews
April 23, 2025
I am a big Santana fan and this book really went to the heart of the man and his music. The art is wonderful and adds to this musical journey through the soul of a man who found himself in the songs he has given us all. My image of Carlos Santana is fixed on his performance at Woodstock; for some reason it is 'embedded' in my mind.
February 17, 2019
Now I absolutely do love love love Jose Ramirez' accompanying illustrations, which are not only colourful but glowingly shine with Latino and Mexican culture and give readers a true visual and aesthetic sense of the latter. However and the above having been said, from a purely textual point of departure I have sadly not really all that much enjoyed Michael James Mahin's When Angels Sing: The Story of Rock Legend Carlos Santana, and no, not at all because of the actual contents, not at all because I have in any manner issues with what the author has written about Carlos Santana (which indeed is an informative depiction and description of Carlos Santana's life and his journey towards becoming a legendary rock musician) but mainly that I simply (and personally) really cannot stand Michael James Mahin's style of narration.
For sorry, but I am someone who has always neither liked nor even been able to appreciate second person narration (in the form of you) being continually used in prose (except of course for necessary required conversations and dialogue) and while I do think that it works well in poetry (and yes in drama) in prose, if the second person is overused or if it is the ONLY narration encountered in a given work, in my opinion, it tends to make texts feel contrived and often rather sermon like. And indeed, this is precisely what my personal reaction to Michael James Mahin's narrative as it appears in When Angels Sing: The Story of Rock Legend Carlos Santana has been, namely that while the information and details on Carlos Santana's life and how he becomes a legendary rock and roller are interesting, well researched and approachable (relatable), the fact that the entire text appears in the second person, with Mahin constantly addressing his subject (Carlos Santana) with "you" it (at least to and for me) has made When Angels Sing: The Story of Rock Legend Carlos Santana read and feel like some type of almost religious homily, as some kind of prayer, which has definitely very much lessened potential reading pleasure on my part (as I just find this at best rather presumptuous and artificial). And therefore, although I actually would still recommend When Angels Sing: The Story of Rock Legend Carlos Santana for Jose Ramirez' spectacular artwork and yes even for the contents and general themes of Michael James Mahin's printed words (as I also well realise that my rather vehement and strident dislike of second person narratives in prose fiction is very much a personal quibble and issue), I really can and will only consider a two star ranking at best for When Angels Sing: The Story of Rock Legend Carlos Santana, for yes and definitely, second person as the main or only narrational style in a work of prose (either fiction or non fiction) really does tend to at best frustrate and annoy me on a writing construction level.
For sorry, but I am someone who has always neither liked nor even been able to appreciate second person narration (in the form of you) being continually used in prose (except of course for necessary required conversations and dialogue) and while I do think that it works well in poetry (and yes in drama) in prose, if the second person is overused or if it is the ONLY narration encountered in a given work, in my opinion, it tends to make texts feel contrived and often rather sermon like. And indeed, this is precisely what my personal reaction to Michael James Mahin's narrative as it appears in When Angels Sing: The Story of Rock Legend Carlos Santana has been, namely that while the information and details on Carlos Santana's life and how he becomes a legendary rock and roller are interesting, well researched and approachable (relatable), the fact that the entire text appears in the second person, with Mahin constantly addressing his subject (Carlos Santana) with "you" it (at least to and for me) has made When Angels Sing: The Story of Rock Legend Carlos Santana read and feel like some type of almost religious homily, as some kind of prayer, which has definitely very much lessened potential reading pleasure on my part (as I just find this at best rather presumptuous and artificial). And therefore, although I actually would still recommend When Angels Sing: The Story of Rock Legend Carlos Santana for Jose Ramirez' spectacular artwork and yes even for the contents and general themes of Michael James Mahin's printed words (as I also well realise that my rather vehement and strident dislike of second person narratives in prose fiction is very much a personal quibble and issue), I really can and will only consider a two star ranking at best for When Angels Sing: The Story of Rock Legend Carlos Santana, for yes and definitely, second person as the main or only narrational style in a work of prose (either fiction or non fiction) really does tend to at best frustrate and annoy me on a writing construction level.
October 7, 2023
I feel like this might have been written for Santana fans, such as my Franki. As someone who appreciates his music, but is a casual partaker, I don't really feel as if I know that much more about the artist after reading this book.
2023 update: I’ve been reading this to 6th graders for Hispanic Heritage Month. I’ve come around in my application. The second person POV is a challenge, but I’m able to add a bit more context by playing snippets of his music and the band’s Woodstock performance.
2023 update: I’ve been reading this to 6th graders for Hispanic Heritage Month. I’ve come around in my application. The second person POV is a challenge, but I’m able to add a bit more context by playing snippets of his music and the band’s Woodstock performance.
February 7, 2019
Vibrant, colorful picture book, done in acrylic and enamel markers on canvas in colors that are reminiscent of the colors on Santana's stunning early album covers. This takes the reader through Carlos's childhood and youth, up to the point where Santana becomes a worldwide phenomenon fifty years ago due to their stunning performance at Woodstock. If you've ever seen their set in the film, the illustration of it is so true to the moment that you can pick out keyboardist Gregg Rolie, bassist David Brown, percussionists José "Chepito" Areas and Mike Carabello, and of course, Carlos himself. The only one missing is drummer Michael Shrieve, and I think the picture is done from his perspective, as we are looking from the back of the stage over the backs of the musicians into the immense crowd. For those who've seen the Woodstock movie, it's an evocative memory, and illustrator Jose Ramirez captured every detail.
Overall, the book is about Carlos looking for the angels that he wants to hear sing when he plays his chosen instrument. Born into a musical family, he tries various other instruments before settling on the guitar and the mix of blues, jazz, rock, and Afro-Cuban music that became the signature Santana sound. Along the way, the book touches on the immigrant experience, the plight of migrant workers like Santana's brother, the nonviolent resistance movement of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Vietnam War. The author does a wonderful job of placing Carlos in his time and era and intertwining the story of the music with that of cultural history, personal history, and coming of age.
I loved this book! The illustrations are amazing, and if you're a passionate early Santana fan like I am, you will find a lot that is familiar, a lot to learn about, and a lot to admire.
Overall, the book is about Carlos looking for the angels that he wants to hear sing when he plays his chosen instrument. Born into a musical family, he tries various other instruments before settling on the guitar and the mix of blues, jazz, rock, and Afro-Cuban music that became the signature Santana sound. Along the way, the book touches on the immigrant experience, the plight of migrant workers like Santana's brother, the nonviolent resistance movement of the Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and the Vietnam War. The author does a wonderful job of placing Carlos in his time and era and intertwining the story of the music with that of cultural history, personal history, and coming of age.
I loved this book! The illustrations are amazing, and if you're a passionate early Santana fan like I am, you will find a lot that is familiar, a lot to learn about, and a lot to admire.
September 16, 2019
Yet another wonderful biography among all the ones we've been seeing these last few years. When I was growing up the kids who read non-fiction and the kids who read stories used different parts of the library and seemed to have very different interests... but true stories like this bridge the gaps between readers... and between cultures.
I'm a little confused by the second-person voice, though. Why did the author give the impression that he's addressing the book to Carlos?
Also, I know that if I were a kid, I'd have some questions... not least about the events of the three decades between Woodstock and the 'comeback.'
I'm a little confused by the second-person voice, though. Why did the author give the impression that he's addressing the book to Carlos?
Also, I know that if I were a kid, I'd have some questions... not least about the events of the three decades between Woodstock and the 'comeback.'
November 14, 2018
Not content with merely penning a biography of Carlos Santana, Mahin (Muddy, 2017) delves deep into what makes the soul of this musician sing. As a boy in Mexico Carlos loved listening to his father play violin. To him, that was when 'the angels would sing'. Carlos tried several instruments including clarinet and violin growing up in Tijuana and San Francisco. He was never able to hear his own angels sing, however, until playing at a muddy festival in Bethel, New York in 1969. Vibrant double page spreads compliment this story of yearning and perseverance.
May 5, 2019
New York Times list of Best Illustrated of 2018---plus Sibert Nominee. I liked this author's teamwork with Evan Turk on last year's Muddy: The Story of Blues Legend Muddy Waters much more.
September 27, 2018
This book is stellar. The art work is amazing!
March 3, 2019
When Angels Sing -- 2019 Pura Belpre Illustrator Award Honor Book
Text to self: This book reminds me of my own childhood, growing up. My dad used to put on albums (like on the record player – totally old school because it was the 80s) and would wander around the living room, playing along with the music on his guitar. A lot of my musical interests are rooted in those memories. One of musicians that my dad would frequently play along with was Santana. While other kids were listening to pop music on the radio (which we also did sometimes), my dad was teaching us about the music from our Hispanic heritage by playing Santana along with music my grandpa grew up listening to, like Perez Prado. This text reminded me of those times growing up, listening to Santana, and watching dad strut around the living room, playing along, which was a large chunk of my childhood, actually. At one place in the text, it says, “There was magic in their beat…The breaking dawn of something the world had never seen before. And this tu-TOOMA tocka-tocka-tock, tu-TOOMA tocka-tocka-tock was the beat of its heart.” (Mahin, 2018, p. 25) While my dad playing music maybe wasn’t this dramatic, it certainly was the start of my own love of music. In the text, as Carlos Santana discovered his love of music and his rhythm, and it changed his world, from my own dad I learned to love music, which in turn changed my life.
Text to text: The text that this reminded me of was the book Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks. I read it several years ago, but it’s all about different and unusual ways that music affects us. One of the chapters talks about how important exposure to music is to a growing brain – the more music a child is exposed to, the more likely it is they will be musical and have increased intelligence. While there have been studies to show the connection between intelligence and music exposure, the most distinct connection has been shown to be between music and linguistic ability. While I was reading about how Carlos Santana went back to Tijuana from San Francisco to learn to speak English better, while learning to play guitar better as well, it made me wonder if perhaps his musical practice helped him learned English faster. In When Angels Sing, it seems like wanting to play his music and be successful and fit in in America drove Santana to work harder, but also that finding his rhythm helped him learn English faster. In Musicophilia by Sacks (2007, p. 146), it implies that it may be possible to link together increased intelligence and ability to learn faster, especially languages, when exposed to music. Because I love music and languages, and I’ve often chanted or put vocabulary to a rhythm to learn it better, I thought about the possible link right away when I read When Angels Sing.
Text to world: I’ve heard of the Carlos Santana foundation before. After reading the text, I decided to look up how Carlos Santana not only makes great music, but how his experiences captured in the text regarding Martin Luther King Jr. and the Vietnam War affected his choice to continue giving back to his community and to others in need. Specifically, I thought it was interesting, and something that I never thought of, in the text it says that he grew up poor, and that he and his music were greatly affected by civil rights pursuits in the 1960s – especially those of Martin Luther King, Jr. Carlos Santana’s Milagro Foundation not only supports healthcare and education initiatives around the world, but also give funding to encourage creativity and an interest in the Arts. In a time where sometimes the Arts are being allowed to go by the wayside, knowing that Carlos Santana grew up with creativity being encouraged, especially musical talent, and now he is investing in upcoming generations is both interesting and encouraging. The connection that I made was that from his own experiences, Carlos Santana started the Milagro Foundation as an effort to give back to his community and those in need around him.
Mahin, M. (2018). When angels sing: The story of rock legend Carlos Santana. New York,
NY: Simon and Schuster.
Sacks, O. (2007). Musicophilia: Tales of music and the brain. New York, NY: Alfred Knopf
Inc.
The Milagro Foundation. (2019). Retrieved from http://milagrofoundation.org/
Text to self: This book reminds me of my own childhood, growing up. My dad used to put on albums (like on the record player – totally old school because it was the 80s) and would wander around the living room, playing along with the music on his guitar. A lot of my musical interests are rooted in those memories. One of musicians that my dad would frequently play along with was Santana. While other kids were listening to pop music on the radio (which we also did sometimes), my dad was teaching us about the music from our Hispanic heritage by playing Santana along with music my grandpa grew up listening to, like Perez Prado. This text reminded me of those times growing up, listening to Santana, and watching dad strut around the living room, playing along, which was a large chunk of my childhood, actually. At one place in the text, it says, “There was magic in their beat…The breaking dawn of something the world had never seen before. And this tu-TOOMA tocka-tocka-tock, tu-TOOMA tocka-tocka-tock was the beat of its heart.” (Mahin, 2018, p. 25) While my dad playing music maybe wasn’t this dramatic, it certainly was the start of my own love of music. In the text, as Carlos Santana discovered his love of music and his rhythm, and it changed his world, from my own dad I learned to love music, which in turn changed my life.
Text to text: The text that this reminded me of was the book Musicophilia by Oliver Sacks. I read it several years ago, but it’s all about different and unusual ways that music affects us. One of the chapters talks about how important exposure to music is to a growing brain – the more music a child is exposed to, the more likely it is they will be musical and have increased intelligence. While there have been studies to show the connection between intelligence and music exposure, the most distinct connection has been shown to be between music and linguistic ability. While I was reading about how Carlos Santana went back to Tijuana from San Francisco to learn to speak English better, while learning to play guitar better as well, it made me wonder if perhaps his musical practice helped him learned English faster. In When Angels Sing, it seems like wanting to play his music and be successful and fit in in America drove Santana to work harder, but also that finding his rhythm helped him learn English faster. In Musicophilia by Sacks (2007, p. 146), it implies that it may be possible to link together increased intelligence and ability to learn faster, especially languages, when exposed to music. Because I love music and languages, and I’ve often chanted or put vocabulary to a rhythm to learn it better, I thought about the possible link right away when I read When Angels Sing.
Text to world: I’ve heard of the Carlos Santana foundation before. After reading the text, I decided to look up how Carlos Santana not only makes great music, but how his experiences captured in the text regarding Martin Luther King Jr. and the Vietnam War affected his choice to continue giving back to his community and to others in need. Specifically, I thought it was interesting, and something that I never thought of, in the text it says that he grew up poor, and that he and his music were greatly affected by civil rights pursuits in the 1960s – especially those of Martin Luther King, Jr. Carlos Santana’s Milagro Foundation not only supports healthcare and education initiatives around the world, but also give funding to encourage creativity and an interest in the Arts. In a time where sometimes the Arts are being allowed to go by the wayside, knowing that Carlos Santana grew up with creativity being encouraged, especially musical talent, and now he is investing in upcoming generations is both interesting and encouraging. The connection that I made was that from his own experiences, Carlos Santana started the Milagro Foundation as an effort to give back to his community and those in need around him.
Mahin, M. (2018). When angels sing: The story of rock legend Carlos Santana. New York,
NY: Simon and Schuster.
Sacks, O. (2007). Musicophilia: Tales of music and the brain. New York, NY: Alfred Knopf
Inc.
The Milagro Foundation. (2019). Retrieved from http://milagrofoundation.org/
June 14, 2019
For this book I decided to make a text to world connection. Making a text-to-world connection is making a connection between the text and real-world happenings in present time or past in history.
This book is the story of Carlos Santana, and his struggle to believe in his musical abilities to “make the angels sing”. He tried to play a variety of genres and instruments but was never impressed with himself or considered himself successful, searching for those 'angles'. It wasn’t until the end of the book that the author says that Carlos finally realized the angels were inside him. Everyone else believed in him but it took him believing in himself to hear the angels sing. I made the text-to-world connection because not only does this share the history of Carlos Santana, and the prevailing moments in history both in Mexico, and the US, and his struggle of being a child immigrant.
I think we can connect this book to the thousands of immigrants that are fleeing their homelands in South America in search of peace and freedom, and hope. Immigrating from place to place in search of a new place to call home and struggling with the assimilation of the new countries is a lot more common than people are aware. There will be students who are English learners that will feel dumb for not knowing the language and miss their homes, and as educators and humans, we owe these students and people the right to feel accepted and valued, and be helped in time of need. Carlos Santana is one of many success stories, and is a prime example of how immigrants make the United States a more beautiful place.
This book is the story of Carlos Santana, and his struggle to believe in his musical abilities to “make the angels sing”. He tried to play a variety of genres and instruments but was never impressed with himself or considered himself successful, searching for those 'angles'. It wasn’t until the end of the book that the author says that Carlos finally realized the angels were inside him. Everyone else believed in him but it took him believing in himself to hear the angels sing. I made the text-to-world connection because not only does this share the history of Carlos Santana, and the prevailing moments in history both in Mexico, and the US, and his struggle of being a child immigrant.
I think we can connect this book to the thousands of immigrants that are fleeing their homelands in South America in search of peace and freedom, and hope. Immigrating from place to place in search of a new place to call home and struggling with the assimilation of the new countries is a lot more common than people are aware. There will be students who are English learners that will feel dumb for not knowing the language and miss their homes, and as educators and humans, we owe these students and people the right to feel accepted and valued, and be helped in time of need. Carlos Santana is one of many success stories, and is a prime example of how immigrants make the United States a more beautiful place.
October 11, 2018
When Angels Sing : The Story of Rock Legend Carlos Santana by Michael Mahin, art by Jose Ramirez PICTURE BOOK Atheneum Books for Young Readers, 2018. $18.
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) , EL , MS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
The life of musician Carlos Santana is recounted in this beautiful picture book. Always drawn to music, young Carlos searched and searched to find the sound his "angel" wanted to hear. Told as a continual story, rather than telling Carlos age, the years are discretely seen in the background of the pages.
This picture book is appropriate for an older audience. It's a great example of growth mindset and a wonderful biography. Infused throughout with words and phrases in Spanish, the message of finding yourself and always trying to improve is timely and important.
Lisa Librarian
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...
BUYING ADVISORY: EL (K-3) , EL , MS - ADVISABLE
AUDIENCE APPEAL: HIGH
The life of musician Carlos Santana is recounted in this beautiful picture book. Always drawn to music, young Carlos searched and searched to find the sound his "angel" wanted to hear. Told as a continual story, rather than telling Carlos age, the years are discretely seen in the background of the pages.
This picture book is appropriate for an older audience. It's a great example of growth mindset and a wonderful biography. Infused throughout with words and phrases in Spanish, the message of finding yourself and always trying to improve is timely and important.
Lisa Librarian
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2018...
November 11, 2019
Although this book does discuss a famous rock legend, it wasn't that interesting. I didn't like that the book and his history was through second person narration. The story was odd to follow because it wasn't told in the way that a typical information text is told, as in using names to tell a story (ex. Jillian was a college student) the book told the story through saying you. I looked up the book to see what the point was of writing it in second person was and one of the things I read said it was to make it seem like the reader was living the life of Carlos Santana, though that is a good idea, I didn't particularly like it. In a classroom, it would be fun to use this book as part of a music lesson or as part of a lesson on point of view of writing. This one could represent second person point of view of course and would be nice to use because it is a nonfiction picture book.
March 16, 2019
A beautifully illustrated, well written picture book about Carlos Santana's childhood up through his band's performance at Woodstock in 1969. I can't say how much I loved the expressive pictures using Mexican style and colors. Carlos Santana's love for music and longing to catch a certain spirit--to "make angels sing" was palpable throughout the story. Would have been better to have a glossary of Spanish words used in the book at the end, even though the general and sometimes specific meaning was clear from context.
REcommended as a read-to for kindergardenters and first graders (plus preschoolers willing to sit for it) and for slightly older kids to read themselves.
REcommended as a read-to for kindergardenters and first graders (plus preschoolers willing to sit for it) and for slightly older kids to read themselves.
September 7, 2019
Jose Ramirez illustrated this picture book biography in bold colors with thick black outlines, rendered in acrylic and enamel markers on canvas. The cover painting captures a bit of the "flower power" feel of the 60s. This is an interesting biography of the musician who grew up in a poor musical family in Mexico, which eventually moved to San Francisco. Spanish words are sprinkled throughout the narrative. Santana's story will encourage children that they can follow their dreams regardless of their circumstances.
September 17, 2018
This great picture book biography of Carlos Santana is a must read for your kids who love rock - play some of his music while your read it, it's the perfect accompaniment!
For my full review, check out http://kissthebook.blogsopt.com
For my full review, check out http://kissthebook.blogsopt.com
September 3, 2018
For music fans of any age. Pair with When Paul met Artie for older readers.
September 15, 2018
Can I give this book 5 hearts instead of 5 stars?? 'Cause I am feeling the love.
December 4, 2018
This book made my soul sing, and captured Carlos Santana's exact magic. I could hear the start of Black Magic Woman playing in my head as I read this tender tribute. Excellent.
December 11, 2018
Such vivid illustrations that really balance the unique second-person text narrative.
December 12, 2018
Casual narration.
March 14, 2021
I searched for this biography read aloud on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l_9RW... because it was a Robert F. Sibert Honor Winner in 2019. I thought it was really well done. There were so many features I appreciated. I liked the way the author spoke to Carlos Santana, using the first person and telling Carlos about his own life. The chronology of the book, shown with the year as the background, was interesting for me as an adult, and would be a really useful tool for students to be able to study the historical events happening during those years to contribute to the major events in Carlos' life. The Central California movement led by Cesar Chavez was an influence on his family and on him personally. And students need to understand the history of Woodstock, the catapult of his career. My favorite feature, though, was the moral weaved throughout the biography. His whole life he was searching for "the angels to sing," or the magic click or confirmation or people's approval that all of us might be looking for. Spoiler alert: he doesn't find it. Or does he? So many types of teachers should read this book to their students: music teachers, history teachers, teachers of students that can relate to humble beginnings and the Mexican-American culture, maybe all teachers should get this book in their classrooms.
November 19, 2019
The illustrations in this story are some of the best i have ever seen. Created using acrylic and enamal markers, they simply make the words of the story come to life and pulsate out of the pages. Its truly amazing what amazing illustrations can do for a story. Evaluating Carlos Santanas life, it describes him as constantly searching for the right feeling. And as he is on this mission to discover this feeling he hopes that when he looks deeper into himself he is able to hear the angels sing. This is incredibly relatable because every single person goes through times of introspection and goes through times where they feel like they have lost themselves and feel like they need to find that right feeling or that right thing to find themself again. This book is a great book to bring into classrooms because its underlying message tell kids that its okay to feel lost and okay to feel sad or depressed because they are never alone. Its easy to see the influence that the times and political movements had on Carlos' music and life, and i think that can really apply to everyone life and if someone can see that another has been in their situation and gotten to the other side, maybe they could feel the same.
Read
November 20, 2019When Angels Sing: The Story of Rock Legend Carlos Santana tells the life story of rock musician Carlos Santana. This book is about a boy who is questioning his musical abilities. He wants to make the angels song like his father did. He tried many different instruments but was not successful, he thought he was not meant to be a musician because he did not hear the angels sing . It was until the end of the book that I realize that the angels were inside of him, everyone else believed that he had what took to be a musician but he didn't feel it himself. He did not believe himself, but it took him a lot to hear the angles sing. I feel like this book can make a lot of connections to readers or even people in the world. The theme of this book is to believe in yourself. Other peoples opinion should not matter as long as you know you have what it takes and can believe in yourself. We can all make a connection to this book. The illustrations are also extraordinary as they fit the text a lot.
November 13, 2021
The story of young Carlos Santana, who tried many instruments before discovering how to truly let his angels sing.
November 25, 2019
I really loved the illustrations and the use of Spanish vocab
November 17, 2019
Genre: nonfiction - Sibert Award/Honor Book
Awards: The Robert F. Sibert Honor Book & Pura Belpré Honor Book
Audience: 1st - 4th grade
a. The topic of this book is the life of musician Carlos Santana.
b. This topic is presented in a child-friendly way by having many engaging illustrations for children to look at. Whenever there were Spanish words in the text, there were illustrations of the Spanish words for a non-Spanish audience to understand. This makes it easier for children to read and understand the book.
c. There are bold texts to emphasize the years that go by in Santana's life.
d. This book could be used with children as a read aloud in a social studies class when learning about different cultures since there are a lot of Spanish topics in the book.
Awards: The Robert F. Sibert Honor Book & Pura Belpré Honor Book
Audience: 1st - 4th grade
a. The topic of this book is the life of musician Carlos Santana.
b. This topic is presented in a child-friendly way by having many engaging illustrations for children to look at. Whenever there were Spanish words in the text, there were illustrations of the Spanish words for a non-Spanish audience to understand. This makes it easier for children to read and understand the book.
c. There are bold texts to emphasize the years that go by in Santana's life.
d. This book could be used with children as a read aloud in a social studies class when learning about different cultures since there are a lot of Spanish topics in the book.
November 13, 2019
“When Angels Sing” by Michael Mahin tells the beautiful story of singer Carlos Santana’s early life and into his successful career. By speaking in the second person, the story is portrayed as more of a conversation or letter rather than a typical biography. The life of Santana would be a wonderful read for children who are from Hispanic heritage- as they are not portrayed in pop or rock music as much as they should be. Children should be introduced to biographies in a way that is fun and visually pleasing, as this book achieves. The imagery and artwork draws the reader in and puts a pleasing background to the words on the page. The language also is helpful in understanding the culture here, as it mentions various different Hispanic traditions, foods and language. When Angels Sing encompasses many elements of diversity and appreciation while still delving into the fact and beauty of the musician’s life. All elementary grades should incorporate this book into their classroom as a fun read, or alongside a lesson on music or Hispanic culture. Santana’s life will be an inspiration to all.
March 3, 2020
Even if this is a book for kids, it is a great look into Santana's life, from Jalisco to Woodstock. Such a fantastic journey is a bit simplified due to the format, of course, but if you want a Santana primer with nice illustrations, this is it. My daughter didn't care much about the book, though. She didn't know Santana and didn't like his music much when I played it.
October 15, 2020
Kirkus Reviews notes that this biographical picture book earned a Pura Belpré Illustrator Honor and a Robert F. Sibert Honor for the story of famous Mexican musician, Carlos Santana. From a very young age, Carlos Santana missed his father when he was away from the family earning a living as a traveling musician. Carlos knew he wanted to create the same melodic magic as his father and grandfather had been making by playing the violin and the French horn, respectively.
At age 5, Carlos began to play the violin, but he couldn’t replicate the sound his father made with his violin in a mariachi band, the sound that brought angels to life for Carlos. When Carlos finally learned to play the guitar at eight years old, he found his true passion. However, it wasn’t until looked within himself instead of longing for acceptance from others who’d only caused him to doubt his self-worth that he felt the presence of angels.
This book is beautifully written with a theme that captures the heart of what it means to become your best self by being authentically you. Mahin’s storytelling style uses a recipe of Spanish words and rhythmic onomatopoeia artistically blended into poetic verse detailing Carlos’ struggles living in poverty in Mexico and California. Carlos’ quest to find his inner voice led him to his own musical genre that combined blues, rock, and jazz, an experiment that was likely fueled by the surge of hope from the Civil Rights Movement and the desperate desire to let music shine light into a world darkened by the Vietnam War.
I found this book to be an inspiring story narrated by what feels like a parent’s perspective. I savored word choices such as “You collected ingredients and marinated your soul in them,” to describe how Carlos Santana made music using the best elements of multiple musical genres.
Though this book is recommended for children ages six through eleven, I think students at the middle-school level would also enjoy it as they are also at that critical transition between children and young adults when finding what makes one unique can be so very challenging. Of course, following several readings of this book, I had to listen to two popular Santana tracks, “Maria” and “Smooth,” now with a new-found appreciation for the brilliance of Carlos Santana.
At age 5, Carlos began to play the violin, but he couldn’t replicate the sound his father made with his violin in a mariachi band, the sound that brought angels to life for Carlos. When Carlos finally learned to play the guitar at eight years old, he found his true passion. However, it wasn’t until looked within himself instead of longing for acceptance from others who’d only caused him to doubt his self-worth that he felt the presence of angels.
This book is beautifully written with a theme that captures the heart of what it means to become your best self by being authentically you. Mahin’s storytelling style uses a recipe of Spanish words and rhythmic onomatopoeia artistically blended into poetic verse detailing Carlos’ struggles living in poverty in Mexico and California. Carlos’ quest to find his inner voice led him to his own musical genre that combined blues, rock, and jazz, an experiment that was likely fueled by the surge of hope from the Civil Rights Movement and the desperate desire to let music shine light into a world darkened by the Vietnam War.
I found this book to be an inspiring story narrated by what feels like a parent’s perspective. I savored word choices such as “You collected ingredients and marinated your soul in them,” to describe how Carlos Santana made music using the best elements of multiple musical genres.
Though this book is recommended for children ages six through eleven, I think students at the middle-school level would also enjoy it as they are also at that critical transition between children and young adults when finding what makes one unique can be so very challenging. Of course, following several readings of this book, I had to listen to two popular Santana tracks, “Maria” and “Smooth,” now with a new-found appreciation for the brilliance of Carlos Santana.
October 14, 2019
Summary:
When Angels Sing is an informational narrative about the life of guitar player Carlos Santana. The story is told from the 2nd person point of view, so YOU are are going through the events of Santana's childhood, adolescence, and adulthood that lead him to being the great musician we know him as today.
Evaluation:
This picture book received the 2019 Sibert Award Honor and Pura Belpré Award Honor. This picture book was engaging, had beautiful illustrations that supported the story, and told Carlos Santana's biography from a unique point of view.
Teaching Idea:
This book would be excellent for teaching 5th grade about theme. This book could be read independently or as part of a read-aloud depending on student need. Before reading, students will be given a "cheat sheet" that tells the definition of theme and lists possible examples of common themes found in stories like, "Treat others as you like to be treated" and "Hard work and determination pays off". During reading, the teacher will prompt students with questions like, "What do you think this story is mostly about?" After reading, students will break into table groups and discuss possible themes for When Angels Sing.
When Angels Sing is an informational narrative about the life of guitar player Carlos Santana. The story is told from the 2nd person point of view, so YOU are are going through the events of Santana's childhood, adolescence, and adulthood that lead him to being the great musician we know him as today.
Evaluation:
This picture book received the 2019 Sibert Award Honor and Pura Belpré Award Honor. This picture book was engaging, had beautiful illustrations that supported the story, and told Carlos Santana's biography from a unique point of view.
Teaching Idea:
This book would be excellent for teaching 5th grade about theme. This book could be read independently or as part of a read-aloud depending on student need. Before reading, students will be given a "cheat sheet" that tells the definition of theme and lists possible examples of common themes found in stories like, "Treat others as you like to be treated" and "Hard work and determination pays off". During reading, the teacher will prompt students with questions like, "What do you think this story is mostly about?" After reading, students will break into table groups and discuss possible themes for When Angels Sing.
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