21FA-LS-5653 - Latinx Literature: Bravo!: Poems About Amazing Hispanics By Margarita Engle
"This is not a book about the most famous Hispanics. These poems are about a variety of amazing people who lived in geographic regions now included in the modern United States. They are people who have faced life's challenges in creative ways. Some were celebrated in their lifetimes but have been forgotten by history. Others achieved lasting fame."
Bibliography:
Bibliography:
Engle, Margarita. 2017. Bravo!: Poems About Amazing Hispanics. Illustrated by Rafael López. New York: Henry Holt. ISBN: 9781250156051
Plot Summary:
This isn't a poetry collection about the most famous Hispanics that you already know. This is a poetry collection about amazing Hispanics throughout history that contributed to the world we know today. Travel back in time to fight for American independence from Britain, become a healer to help cure sick people, collaborate with artists for equal rights, explore jungles and wildlife, fly around the world, solve medical mysteries, and inspire Latino children to read and write. Eighteen amazing Hispanics to start, and many, many more to discover.
This isn't a poetry collection about the most famous Hispanics that you already know. This is a poetry collection about amazing Hispanics throughout history that contributed to the world we know today. Travel back in time to fight for American independence from Britain, become a healer to help cure sick people, collaborate with artists for equal rights, explore jungles and wildlife, fly around the world, solve medical mysteries, and inspire Latino children to read and write. Eighteen amazing Hispanics to start, and many, many more to discover.
Critical Analysis:
Bravo!: Poems About Amazing Hispanics by Margarita Engle is a fantastic poetry collection about eighteen different Hispanics who impacted history. Told in chronological order from the 17th century to the 19th century, readers will learn about soldiers, revolutionaries, healers, librarians, baseball players, cowboys, and more. Each biographical person is depicted through simple poetry on a single page but packs a punch of dynamic information. I especially enjoyed reading each poem in the first-person point of view as if every person told me their life story themselves. The illustrations by Rafael López are also complementary to every biography and are rich in details and color. López takes excellent care in portraying everyone's hair and skin colors, facial expressions, and precise accessories. Readers will find the illustrations authentic, accurate, and meaningful. They will easily identify what each poem is revealing.
Furthermore, readers may recognize some of the Hispanic people mentioned in the collection but guarantee that they will learn something new after reading this novel. I, myself, could only recall three or four people out of eighteen total. For instance, readers may know about the famous baseball player Roberto Clemente, but they will most likely not know about people such as Juan de Miralles, Félix Varela, Juana Briones, or José Martí, to name a few. There are few Spanish words throughout the novel, and the book does not include a glossary. However, Engle includes enough context clues for readers to understand the Spanish language, allowing deeper reflection without translating every word outright. Also, for patrons interested in learning more about each individual mentioned in the collection, the author includes detailed notes about every person at the end of the book.
Overall, Bravo!: Poems About Amazing Hispanics by Margarita Engle is a unique set of poems that reflect inspirational Hispanics throughout history. Readers will learn about each individual's lives, but more so, observe each person's heritage and culture. The poems indicate Hispanics' legitimate experiences with vast settings (like New York), poverty, immigration, independence, injustice, freedoms, and more. One example from Paulina Pedroso's biographical poem states, "They call me a heroine for creating/ a friendship society of black and white cubanos,/ all of us living in exile, where we help each other,/ and help the needy —orphans, widows, the poor..." — which I find as a perfect summarization of all the topics that readers will learn about in this collection. Additionally, readers will love how the author includes information at the end of the novel about modern Hispanic people who have impacted the US, such as Sonia Sotomayor, América Ferrara, Christina Aguilera, Juan Felipe Herrera, and many more. This poetry collection is ideal for middle-grade readers, but people of all ages and backgrounds will enjoy this novel. I recommend Bravo! to anyone interested in Hispanic culture, US History, biographies, and poetry.
Awards & Reviews:
- 2018 CCBC Choices: Poetry
- 2019 Texas Bluebonnet Award Nominee
- 2020 El Día de los Niños Selection
- Chicago Public Library Best Books of 2017
- Junior Library Guild Selections Multicultural Selection 2017
- New York Public Library Top Ten Best Books for Kids 2017
- School Library Journal's Best Books of 2017, Nonfiction
From ALA Booklist, "Readers will hear the stories—and never forget them."
From Kirkus Reviews, "This book features the lives of a variety of Latinos who faced life's challenges with aplomb and in their own ways. . . each person is stunningly portrayed in López's strong and vibrant style; opposite is a first-person biographical poem that provides a glimpse into its subject's life."
From School Library Journal, "this book is a welcome addition to schools and libraries, as it expands the canon of historically significant individuals in the United States in such a lyrical and aesthetically pleasing manner."
Connections:
Discussion: After reading Bravo! Have patrons pick one of the poems from the book and read it aloud. Once everyone has read a poem, ask them to discuss their favorite person and why. Can they name other amazing Hispanic people, famous or personally?
Activity: Margarita Engle includes Honorable Mentions at the end of the book. Direct patrons to pick one of the amazing persons mentioned at the end of the book, have them conduct a general search for information about their person, and write a poem about that person based on their research. Invite patrons to share their poems once they finish writing.
For anyone interested in other novels by Margarita Engle, suggest:
- Engle, Margarita. 2008. The Surrender Tree: Poems of Cuba's Struggle for Freedom. ISBN: 9780805086744
- Engle, Margarita. 2015. Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl's Courage Changed Music. ISBN: 9780544102293
- Engle, Margarita. 2015. Enchanted Air: Two Cultures, Two Wings. ISBN: 9781481435222
Patrons who enjoyed Bravo! might also like these biographies and memoirs:
- Denise, Anika Aldamuy. 2019. Planting Stories: The Life of Librarian and Storyteller Pura Belpré. ISBN: 9780062748683
- Favilli, Elena. 2020. Good Night Stories for Rebel Girls: 100 Immigrant Women Who Changed the World. ISBN: 9781733329293
- Morales, Yuyi. 2018. Dreamers. ISBN: 9780823440559
- Tonatiuh, Duncan. 2015. Funny Bones: Posada and His Day of the Dead Calaveras. ISBN: 9781419716478