BIOGRAPHICAL POETRY

DRUM DREAM GIRL: HOW ONE GIRL’S COURAGE CHANGED MUSIC

 

BIBLIOGRAPHY

Engle, Margarita. 2015. Drum Dream Girl: How One Girl’s Courage Changed Music. Ill. by Rafael López. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Harcourt.  ISBN 9780761316657.

SUMMARY

As Engle explains in a Historical Note provided at the end of the book, this poem book is inspired by Millo Castro Zaldarriaga, a young girl who “broke Cuba’s traditional taboo against female drummers.” This poem follows a young girl who, even after being discouraged by her father and the townspeople, dreams of playing drums. She continues to pursue her dreams until her father agrees to find her a teacher and, ultimately, she is able to perform.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS

The Poet

Margarita Engle is a prolific children’s author and famous poet. She was awarded the Newbery Honor for The Surrender Tree, becoming the first Latina to receive this honor, and the Lee Bennett Hopkins Poetry Award for Enchanted Air. Engle is also the recipient of three Pura Belpré Awards. She is best known for her verse novels.

Layout

As this is a single poem, it is laid out in chronological sequence to tell the story of a young girl who pursues her dream. We are introduced to “the dream drum girl” and are soon told that “everyone/on the island of music/…believed that only boys/should play drums,” establishing the poem’s conflict early one.  The poem, however, focuses on the dream drum girl’s persistence to continue playing despite what anyone says.  In the end, her dreams and courage pay off, as she finally gains acceptance for all girls who want to play drums.

López’s rich, vibrant acrylic illustrations strongly reflect the Cuban culture.  The animated drawings perfectly complement the poem’s dream-like, whimsical tone. Readers will enjoy the detailed illustrations as much as the poem itself.

Poetic Elements

While the poem follows the concrete biography of a young girl, Engle is able to give her poem a much deeper, thematic meaning.  Drum Dream Girl is ultimately a story about the importance of following your dreams and about perseverance. Although the poem is written in free verse, Engle utilizes poetic elements such as sound techniques to invite readers into the protagonist’s story.  Engle uses alliteration to tell of how the “drum dream girl/dreamed,” repeating the d sound to create a rhythmic, drum-like sound for readers.  She also uses onomatopoeia, as when she describes the “pounding,” “tapping,” and “boom boom booming” of the girl’s drumming, appealing to readers’ sense of sound and providing sensory imagery.  Engle continually uses imagery, such as when she writes that “When [the drum dream girl] walked under/wind-wavy palm trees/in a flower-bright park/she heard the whir of parrot wings,” bringing readers into the girl’s experience so they, too, can partake in this girl’s dream.  When drum dream girl’s father tells her that only boys are allowed to play drums, readers will feel the girl’s disappointment momentarily only to, along with the young girl, continue to pursue what she wants. In the end, Engle creates an inspirational tone that will resonate with readers.

Appeal

As a poem picture book, Drum Dream Girl will definitely appeal to readers both young and old.  The format of this poem is simple enough for young readers to follow, and the sensory language is both easy to understand and thought-provoking, giving readers the chance to expand their linguistic ability.  Readers will be able to relate to the young protagonist and will see themselves in her. Because of the inspirational outcome, readers will thoroughly enjoy this poem.

Overall Quality

Engle’s Drum Dream Girl captures her poetic repertoire and skill, showcasing consistent quality throughout.  The poem is broken up into separate pages at appropriate times to allow López’s illustrations to help develop the story.  Readers will feel a range of emotions throughout the poem but will ultimately end up with a feeling of hope.

SPOTLIGHT POEM AND ACTIVITIES

Excerpt from Drum Dream Girl by Margarita Engle

When she walked under

wind-wavy palm trees

in a flower-bright park

she heard the whir of parrot wings

the clack of woodpecker beaks

the dancing tap

of her own footsteps

and the comforting pat

of her own

heartbeat.

This excerpt captures the essence of meaning, tone, and poetic quality of Drum Dream Girl. Readers are able to see Engle’s masterful onomatopoeic sounds, imagery, and positive tone to understand the inspirational message of the overall poem.

I would emphasize this part of the poem by first inviting students to observe the illustrations and predict what is about to happen in the poem.  As students come up with ideas, I would ask them what sounds they imagine hearing based on the pictures. I would softly play a drum beat sound clip while reading this excerpt to help students experience what the young girl in the poem likely feels or hears.  After reading the poem in its entirety, I would lead the class in writing a whole-class golden shovel poem about the importance of following your dreams using the this excerpt from Drum Dream Girl.