For example, in one chapter Rafi finds out that he attracts a larger audience playing his homemade güiro with Rosi’s help even though he initially excluded her: “Big brothers only.” Even when he makes mistakes, as the older brother, Rafi consoles Rosi when she is embarrassed or angry at him. The stories focus on Rafi and Rosi’s relationship within a musical context. A glossary at the beginning sets readers up well to understand the Spanish vocabulary, including accurate phoneticization for non-Spanish speakers.

Readers learn along with Rafi and Rosi as they explore bomba, plena, and salsa in three chapters. The fourth installment in Delacre’s early-reader series centers on the rich musical traditions of Puerto Rico, once again featuring sibling tree frogs Rafi and Rosi Coquí. Children will find comfort in the story’s repetition as well as its message of prayer and peace.Ī Cherokee family’s worry for their loved one at war reminds readers of the sacrifices made by Natives in our military. The author is Cherokee, which may be the reason she makes the family in her story the same, but it makes for a bit of a disconnect when the author’s note informs readers that the story is based on that of Oglala Lakota pilot Ola Mildred Rexroat, “the only Native woman among 1,074 Women Air Force Service Pilots in World War II.” Still, the meditative text is lovely, and the artwork brings the small Cherokee abode to life with warmth and love. With her colorful illustrations, Alvitre (Tongva/Scots-Gaelic) introduces an effective visual theme, depicting the connection between weaving and meditation as threads loop and twine through the artwork. The text is simple and circular: As the family prays for their warrior, she is depicted in her plane, remembering and praying for them. She flies a support plane, exhibiting courage as she hopes for safety and a return to peace. They are weaving and thinking of their female family member who is enlisted in the military. The engaging tale of a Native woman in the military during World War II.Ī Cherokee family sits around a hearth in a cabin in the woods.

We are still here traci sorell