So we purr, cara cara, and we glide, taka taka, and we zoom, zoom, ZOOM!
A family drives into the city of Havana to celebrate a cousin's first birthday. Before their journey, the boy helps his papa tune up their old car, Cara Cara, which has been in their family for many years. They drive along the sea wall, along the coast, past other colorful old cars. The sounds of the city are rich—the putt putts and honks and bumpety bumps of other cars chorus through the streets. A rich celebration of the culture of the Cuban people, their resourcefulness and innovative spirit, and their joy.
Author Information
Margarita Engle is the Cuban-American author of many verse books, including the Newbery Honor Book The Surrender Tree, the Charlotte Zolotow Award winner Drum Dream Girl, and the Walter Dean Myers Honor Enchanted Air. Her books have also received multiple Pura Belpré and Americas Awards as well as a Jane Addams Award, an International Reading Association Award, and many others. margaritaengle.com
Mike Curato traveled to Havana to do visual research and bring this story to life. He is the author and illustrator of the Little Elliot series and has illustrated a number of other books for children, including Worm Loves Worm. mikecurato.com