La Guitarrista, The Rock Star: Bilingual English-Spanish

by Lucky Diaz, Micah Player (Illustrator), Carmen Tafolla (Translator)

Overview

With the English and Spanish text side by side on the page, this bilingual edition of the rockin’ picture book about a tenacious girl who achieves her wildest dreams with a little help from her community and a broken guitar is ideal for bilingual readers as well as Spanish speakers learning English and vice versa.

From the creators of Paletero Man/¡Que Paletero tan Cool!—Latin Grammy–winning musician Lucky Diaz and celebrated artist Micah Player! 

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 going after her dreams!

Perfect for fans of Because and We Will Rock Our Classmates, La Guitarrista, The Rock Star will have readers rocking out to this empowering tale of resilience, community, the power of music—and never giving up on your dreams.

Includes an author’s note from Lucky Diaz and a link to the Lucky Band’s song inspired by the book.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780063254176
Publisher:	HarperCollins
Publication date:	05/07/2024
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	995,669
Product dimensions:	9.80(w) x 9.80(h) x 0.20(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

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 Parents' 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 Reviews, School Library Journal, 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. luckydiazmusic.com

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. micahplayer.com.

Editorial Reviews

In this cute bilingual story...the translation is responsive rather than literal; if it rhymes in English, for instance, it rhymes in Spanish too. Unlike some other bilingual offerings, this book isn't focused on teaching one language or the other, but is simply making the story accessible to a wider range of readers, which is refreshing. — Booklist

An inspiring story. Recommended for all children’s collections. — School Library Journal

From the Publisher

06/01/2024

PreS-Gr 2—From the creators of Paletero Man/¡Que Paletero tan Cool!, this book features a young guitarist's road to music fame. Canta's world takes a life-changing turn when she finds a guitar in the dumpster. With the help of her family and community, Canta fixes up the instrument and gains the confidence to play it for stadium-sized crowds. The playful illustrations add to the fun of the story, using lots of color, detail, and various engaging perspectives. The tale offers novel representation of women in male-dominated careers, such as furniture building, automotive repair, and of course, the genre of rock /n' roll music. The text alternates between English and Spanish, mostly in rhyme; the translation is not literal, but the sentiments are the same in both languages. There are a few awkward sentences around rhyming or when an unsatisfying slant rhyme is used. Still, these moments do not detract from the inspiring story. VERDICT Recommended for all children's collections.—Maria Bohan

School Library Journal