Building an Orchestra of Hope (Stories from Latin America)
by Carmen Oliver (Author) Luisa Uribe (Illustrator)
An exuberantly illustrated true story about innovation, community, and the power of music.
In Cateura, Paraguay, a town built on a landfill, music teacher Favio Chavez longed to help the families living and working amid the hills of trash. How could he help them find hope for the future? Favio started giving music lessons to Cateura's children, but soon he encountered a serious problem. He had more students than instruments! But Favio had a strange and wonderful idea: what if this recyclers' town had its own recycled orchestra?
Favio and Colá, a brilliant local carpenter, began to experiment with transforming garbage into wonder. Old glue canisters became violins; paint cans became violas; drainpipes became flutes and saxophones. With repurposed instruments in their hands, the children of Cateura could fill their community--and the world--with the sounds of a better tomorrow.
Based on an incredible true story, Building an Orchestra of Hope offers an unforgettable picture of human dignity reclaimed from unexpected sources. Carmen Oliver's inviting words and Luisa Uribe's dynamic illustrations create a stirring tribute to creativity, resilience, and the transformative nature of hope.
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School Library Journal
K-Gr 4--Don't let readers stop at the last page of this encouraging picture book about Favio Chavez and how he and his people turned a sea of trash into sea of hope by making musical instruments from garbage: "The world sends us garbage. We send back music." Oliver conveys Chavez's story with grace and understanding. The people of Cateura, Paraguay, live in a sea of filth, constantly reminded they are living on a mountain of trash. The ganchero workers construct instruments to create a Recycled Orchestra. Uribe's illustrations seem to give their own musical story of what Oliver is trying to convey. Her art is subtle and soft, carrying readers along to see what happens to this beautiful community. Her illustrated scenes get brighter and brighter as the story comes to an end. VERDICT A strong nonfiction selection to convey that anything is possible, and that even garbage can lead to hope.--Jacquetta Etheridge
Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.Review quotes
"An inspiring picture book that demonstrates how environmentalism and the arts can unite to bring joy to an entire community." Kirkus Reviews
"Like a dose of pure inspiration."
JNF038050 - Juvenile Nonfiction | People & Places | Caribbean & Latin America
JNF036010 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Music | Classical
JNF053070 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Social Topics | Homelessness & Poverty
Paraguay
Orquesta de Instrumentos Reciclados Cateura
Chaavez, Favio
Music teachers
