Engle’s striking story tells the story of Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, who grew up in Cuba in the 1920s at a time when drumming was considered to be only for men and boys. She dared to drum anyway, “tall conga drums / small bongo drums / and big, round, silvery / moon-bright timbales … Her hands seemed to fly / as they rippled / rapped / and pounded / all the rhythms / of her drum dreams.”
Engle’s musical narrative goes on to describes Millo’s eventual triumph in convincing others that girls could play. Her words are set against the vibrant tropical colors of illustrator Rafael López’s lush illustrations.
The 2016 Charlotte Zolotow Award Committee named five honor books:
- Finding Winnie: The True Story of the World’s Most Famous Bear written by Lindsay Mattick
- Hoot Owl: Master of Disguise written by Sean Taylor
- Last Stop on Market Street written by Matt de la Peña
- The New Small Person written by Lauren Child
- When Otis Courted Mama Written by Kathi Appelt
The Zolotow committee also named 10 highly commended titles:
- Goodnight, Good Dog by Mary Lynn Ray
- How the Sun Got to Coco’s House by Bob Graham
- Mama’s Nightingale: A Story of Immigration and Separation by Edwidge Danticat
- Maya’s Blanket / La manta de Maya by Monica Brown
- Miss Hazeltine’s Home for Shy and Fearful Cats by Alicia Potter
- A Poem in Your Pocket by Margaret McNamara
- Ragweed’s Farm Dog Handbook by Anne Vittur Kennedy
- Waiting by Kevin Henkes
- Water is Water: A Book about the Water Cycle by Miranda Paul
- When Sophie’s Feelings Are Really, Really Hurt by Molly Bang
For more about the Charlotte Zolotow Award, administered by the Cooperative Children's Book Center, and the 2016 Zolotow Award books, see the complete press release.
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