La Guitarrista
$19.99 USD
Hardcover
From the creators of Paletero Man—Latin Grammy–winning musician Lucky Diaz and celebrated artist Micah Player—comes a story about a tenacious girl who achieves her wildest dreams with a little help from her community and a broken guitar.
Strum! Strum! Strum!
Get ready to rock with la guitarrista!
When Canta finds a guitar in the trash, she is one step closer to becoming a rock star! Even though the guitar is broken and she doesn’t know how to play, nothing can stop Canta from achieving her wildest dreams!
Fans of Because and We Will Rock Our Classmates will rock out to this empowering tale of resilience, community, the power of music—and never giving up on your dreams.
The book includes Spanish words and phrases throughout and an author’s note from Lucky Diaz about his inspiration behind the story.
Lucky Diaz is a bilingual, songwriting, taco-eating, multi–Latin Grammy Award–winning, Grammy-nominated and six-time Emmy-nominated musician, children’s television personality and author. His work has been praised by NPR, Billboard, People, and the New York Times. He is a Parent’s Choice Gold Award and NAPPA Award winner. In 2020, his album Buenos Diaz was named an official selection of notable works for children by the American Library Association. Lucky’s debut picture book, Paletero Man, has been celebrated with starred reviews from Kirkus, SLJ, Publishers Weekly, and ALA Booklist. He currently lives in a house on a hill in Los Angeles with his wife, Alisha, daughter, Indiana, and their dog, Django
Micah Player began his career designing and illustrating for Paul Frank Industries in Southern California. He is the author of Chloe, Instead and the illustrator of several books and games for children, including Paletero Man by Lucky Diaz. He lives in a little house beneath a giant tree in the Utah mountains, with a lovely schoolteacher named Stephanie. They are the parents of two rad kids, one Yorkshire terrier, and several Casio keyboards.
Told with unitalicized Spanish and English intertwined, the rhymes are appropriately melodic, and the art is vibrant, full of warm tones and round-faced characters full of expression. It’s a combination that works: a heartfelt story of a neighborhood coming together to help a little girl’s dream come true and engaging illustrations that deliver. An inspiring story of perseverance. -Kirkus Reviews
The rhyming of this story only enhances the rhythm of the guitar readers might imagine playing in the background as they read. The illustrations are vibrant and add to the feel of the story, showcasing diverse characters and the energy of the Los Angeles neighborhood where it is set. With English and Spanish text, this book could be used to foster social and emotional learning, as well as highlighting diversity. VERDICT A recommended purchase that will be fun to share as a read-aloud and inspire readers to follow the song in their hearts. -School Library Journal
This upbeat story carries positive messages about believing in yourself, persevering when others doubt you, and achieving your dream through hard work. A fun read-aloud pick for a bilingual (or any!) storytime. -Booklist
A vibrant rhyming celebration of an L.A. neighborhood community and one Latinx-cued child’s determination to find “the song in my heart.” Diaz’s text flows smoothly between English and Spanish as a refrain of “Strum! Strum! Strum!” propels Canta’s journey from observer to performer. Emotions leap from Player’s warm-palette digital illustrations, which utilize emanata and deep perspective to create a sense of movement and passionate energy around Canta’s larger-than-life dreams. -Publishers Weekly
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