Tito Puente, Mambo King/Tito Puente, Rey del Mambo : Bilingual English-Spanish

paperback

Synopsis

The award-winning duo of author Monica Brown and artist Rafael López hit all the right beats in this vibrant bilingual (Spanish and English) picture book biography that portrays the musical and cultural phenomenon of Tito Puente, the Mambo King. The book was selected as a Pura Belpré Honor Book for Illustration. Now in paperback! 

This vibrant bilingual picture book biography of musician Tito Puente will make readers dance along to the beat of the Mambo King’s life.

Tito Puente loved banging pots and pans as a child, but what he really dreamed of was having his own band one day. From Spanish Harlem to the Grammy Awards—and all the beats in between—this is the true story of a boy whose passion for music turned him into the “King of Mambo.”

Award-winning author-illustrator duo Monica Brown and Rafael López bring the remarkable story of this talented legend to life in this Pura Belpré Honor Book.

Author

Monica Brown is the author of Small Room, Big Dreams: The Journey of Julián and Joaquin Castro; Pelé, King of Soccer / Pelé, El rey del fútbol; and Side by Side: The Story of Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez / Lado a lado: La historia de Dolores Huerta y César Chávez, as well as the Pura Belpré Honor Books My Name Is Celia / Me llamo Celia, Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos, and Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match / Marisol McDonald no combina. Monica lives in Flagstaff, Arizona, with her family.

Monica Brown es la autora de Small Room, Big Dreams: The Journey of Julián and Joaquin Castro; Pelé, King of Soccer / Pelé, El rey del fútbol; y Side by Side: The Story of Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez / Lado a lado: La historia de Dolores Huerta y César Chávez y de los libros ganadores del Honor Pura Belpré My Name Is Celia / Me llamo Celia, Frida Kahlo and Her Animalitos y Marisol McDonald Doesn’t Match / Marisol McDonald no combina. Monica vive en Flagstaff, Arizona, con su familia.

Illustrator

Rafael López grew up in Mexico City, where he was immersed in the rich cultural heritage and color of street life. He is the illustrator of many vibrant picture books, including the acclaimed Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl’s Courage Changed Music by Margarita Engle and Maybe Something Beautiful: How Art Transformed a Neighborhood by F. Isabel Campoy and Theresa Howell. He has received the Pura Belpré and Américas Awards multiple times. Rafael López also designs and creates community-based murals nationwide. He divides his time between San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, and San Diego, California.

Praise