¡Mambo Mucho Mambo! El Baile Que Atravesó La Barrera del Color (Spanish Edition)

Gr 2-5--Hips, feet, arms--everything swishes, sways, and shimmies with the mambo. The rhythm is irresistible. Whoever hears it has to move! It doesn't matter who the dancers are or where they're from--everyone loves the new Latin jazz sound of "Machito y sus Afrocubanos." However, this is the 1940s, and each race has to stick with its own kind. All groups have separate neighborhoods and separate dance halls. No one is allowed to mix--until 1948 when the New York Palladium bucks the system and opens its doors to everyone. For the first time, people of every color dance together to the electrifying beat of Machito's band. Soon Millie, an Italian American, and Pedro, a Puerto Rican, find themselves burning up the floor together with Harry and Rose, a Jewish couple, and African Americans Ernie and Dotty. The color barrier is broken! The movement toward civil rights has begun and there is no going back. Robbins's snappy language and smoking turn of phrase brings the mambo and all its followers to life. Lázaro's Spanish translation sizzles. "Las maracas repiqueteaban. Las congas retumbaban." Velasquez's illustrations send sparks flying off each full-bleed spread. There's nothing static in these dynamic, full-movement portrayals of humans expressing the unadulterated joy of popping music and uninhibited dancing. The author's note includes historical and biographical information. VERDICT Fiery and rhythmic storytelling surges to the beat of the conga--a must-have selection for all ages.--Mary Margaret Mercado, Pima County P.L., Tucson, AZ