Drum, Chavi, Drum!/Toca, Chavi, toca!

by Mayra Lazara Dole

Even though nobody in her Cuban-American neighborhood thinks girls should play the drums, Chavi knows she was born to play. She drums on paint cans, sofa arms, even on her mother’s cheeks. Her favorites are the tumbadoras, conga drums. So, when she’s not picked to play on the school float for Calle Ocho—Miami’s Eighth Street carnaval—she decides to do something about it! Mayra L. Dole’s plucky little musician will drum her way into the hearts of all young readers, who will add her to their list of favorite heroines. Tonel’s illustrations capture the flavor of Calle Ocho’s inhabitants and celebrations.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Latinx

32 pages, Hardcover

First published June 19, 2003

About the author

I'm passionate about my quirky girlfriend, writing, reading, guitar, art, mangoes, science, music, maths, chocolate, exotic palm trees, organic foods, solar, ETC. I was born in Havana. We live in Florida with our wacky mutts.

Reviews

[Thalia Ortiz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Drum, Chavi, Drum! by Mayra L. Dole is a realistic fiction book about a young Cuban girl who wants to play in the Calle Ocho festival in Miami on her school float, but she is not allowed because she is a girl. She disguises herself as Zoro and eventually proves that she is better than any boy and becomes the first female to play the drums in Calle Ocho history. This book made me giggle as I could relate to some of her experiences, like speed cleaning the house before mom gets home, watching all the abuelos/male elders play dominos outside, and greeting everyone with little kisses as to not be rude which made the story feel authentic. The author was raised in Miami and was born in Cuba so I loved hearing these conversations and the Spanglish flow on the pages because that is what I was raised on. The setting, plot, and characters are all extremely accurate and I feel like I am a part of this story and experiencing these things myself; I could feel the excitement to be in the Calle Ocho parade because in New York we have an annual Puerto Rican Day parade that is similar. The characters are extremely convincing as Hispanic men typically never like to be proven wrong and are often times as stubborn as a mule, so the fact that they didn’t want her to play even after she revealed she was a girl is something I can see happening in real life. The story really engages the children and makes them question what is going to happen next as well as think more about gender roles.

In Race and Respect Among Young Children by Rita Tenorio, she speaks about tackling certain issues head-on in the Taking a Stance section. This book brings up what could possibly be uncomfortable stereotypes of being raised by a single mother holding down several jobs. However, that is the personal experience of the author as she shares her story and it opens up discussion on how not all homes are like this. Fortunately, the book does not dwell too much on the negative and focuses more on the character and her determination as a young Cuban girl to play the drums during Calle Ocho. The book also beautifully and subtly avoids tokenism through the illustrations of the Cuabn illustrator Tonel. He creates each character to have different facial characteristics that are simple, yet detailed and realistic.

[Kim Sanchez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This story is about a little girl named Chavi who wants to show the whole world how great she can drum. Unfortunately, since she is a girl, no one wants to hear it, and they tell her drumming is for boys. Throughout the story she continues to attempt to show people how well she can drum, but no one will listen. At the end, she dressed up like a boy, and then everyone began to listen to her and realized how amazing she was. She showed her true self and made everyone realize, despite if she is a boy or girl, she can still play the drums. As a teacher, I will show students that no matter their gender, they should be able to do what they love, and that gender roles should not limit them to that. I think students will enjoy this book because of the colorful pictures that go along great with the text. Both the author, Mayra Dole, and the illustrator,Tonel, are from Cuba, and can relate to Chavi's culture and language. This book may portray Latin culture in a negative light because in some Latin American countries, they believe strongly in gender roles, but this book shows that you don't always have to live by that.

[Teresa Rodriguez · Rating 4 out of 5]

a celebration of girrrrrl-ness Miami style! mucho fun.