Module 4: Biography Poem
Bibliography:
Engle, Margarita, and Rafael Lopez . Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl’s Courage Changed Music. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, 2015.
Summary:
This Pura Belpre award winning book will inspire readers with it’s beautiful words and equally stunning illustrations. Margarita Engle tells this historical fiction story based on Millo Castro Zaldarriaga using free verse. It is the story of a young girl who lives “on an island of music” and dreams about being a drummer. Even though everyone on the island says only boys can be drummers, she never stopped dreaming. Readers will be mesmerized by the colorful illustrations and the inspiring story.
Analysis:
The entire book has a very dream like quality. There is not one single page with any stark white backgrounds, in fact it is so colorful all of the words are in white. Starting with the cover in a deep rich blue, we see a little girl looking up at a moon holding a drum. The story is told in one long free verse story. It is told with a few lines per page. Some lines being only one word each. On some pages, the illustrator forces the reader to hold the book long ways to read the words and view the picture vertically taking the two page spread. The book goes back and forth from reality to a dream. You can find the main character floating in the night sky to play drums on the cheek of a smiling moon. On another page, she is talking to her father like a typical girl. The book ends with a historical note about the real drum girl that inspired the book. This is a perfect read for kids of all ages. Younger readers will be captivated by the illustrations and rhythm of the words. An older reader will be inspired by the main character. She was called the drum dream girl and she kept dreaming even after she was told her dream would never come true.
Activity:
Pair this book with Who Says Women Can’t be Doctors? and discuss why women didn’t always have the same rights. Compare the two books and explore WomenHistoryMonth.gov for more information on the contributions of women.
Li-Berry-ian 