Margarita Engle created a book of poems around Latinos from all over the world – El Salvador, Mexico, Cuba, Puerto Rico, Venezuela. Those that Engle has chosen to highlight are a mix of historical figures that made great differences in their countries and America, such as George Melendez Wright who fought to keep animals from extinction and Aida de Acosta who was the first woman to fly. Engle also included lesser known people: Priest Felix Varela who fought against slavery and tried to help the Irish in America. The poems are simple, often presenting details abut the chosen figure in a straight forward manner. The offering on Julia de Burgos from Puerto Rico says “I struggled to become a teacher and a poet, so I could use word to fight for equal rights to women, and work toward meeting the needs of poor children” (2017). Though not as lovely and compelling as some of Engle’s other works, the information highlights the chosen person with alacrity. The last pages of the book are sort biographies about each person. The offering on Julia De Burgos opens with “As the oldest of thirteen children, Julia de Burgos had a difficult childhood in Puerto Rico. Six of her siblings died of malnutrition, but she managed to stay in school and become a teachers, writer, civil rights activist, and advocate of Puerto Rican independence from the United States” (2017).
Vibrant illustrations of each historical figure were created by Rafael Lopez. Ruth Quiroa from School Library Journal felt “Lopez’s distinctive artwork leaves a lasting visual impression, as the subjects, surrounded by images representing their vocations, look readers straight in the eye or are totally absorbed in their work” (2017). Sometimes, the artwork overshadows the poems, but the pairing leaves a lasting impression on the wonderful contributions each person offered to their society and to the world at large.
Booklist states “Latinos have made many wonderful contributions to the history of the United States, and Engle’s poems on 18 amazing Latinos provides a chronological overview of the impact these figures have had.” (2016). The information may seem simple and feel more like exposition than poetry, but the facts and the chosen people can lead many children to seeing what Latinos from all countries have offered to everyone.
Engle, Margarita (2017). Bravo!: Poems about Amazing Hispanics. New York: Henry Holt and Company
Engle, Margarita (2017). [Digital Image – Bravo!: Poems about Amazing Hispanics]. Retrieved on October 3, 2018 from https://ipage.ingramcontent.com/ipage/servlet/ibg.common.titledetail.pd1000?queryString=H4sIAAAAAAAAABXKsQ6CMBSF4VepZ2aAtSPBycWhJiaEmItUbQRu01s0Ynx3L9v3n5wvZIC90Si-gDDD5rQoY4ZFzfyEWlbYqixVo677s2uwndXHU924LSJs21YF1Af_eXMaLi7k0Wv3iV68syayn8RQz0s2NNEa5rt5BIk0h6ug635_xjiGWowAAAA&R=45182604
Booklist (2016). [Review – Bravo!: Poems about Amazing Hispanics]. Retrieved on October 3, 2018 from https://ipage.ingramcontent.com/ipage/servlet/ibg.common.titledetail.pd1000?queryString=H4sIAAAAAAAAABXKsQ6CMBSF4VepZ2aAtSPBycWhJiaEmItUbQRu01s0Ynx3L9v3n5wvZIC90Si-gDDD5rQoY4ZFzfyEWlbYqixVo677s2uwndXHU924LSJs21YF1Af_eXMaLi7k0Wv3iV68syayn8RQz0s2NNEa5rt5BIk0h6ug635_xjiGWowAAAA&R=45182604
School Library Journal (2017). [Review – Bravo!: Poems about Amazing Hispanics]. Retrieved on October 3, 2018 from https://ipage.ingramcontent.com/ipage/servlet/ibg.common.titledetail.pd1000?queryString=H4sIAAAAAAAAABXKsQ6CMBSF4VepZ2aAtSPBycWhJiaEmItUbQRu01s0Ynx3L9v3n5wvZIC90Si-gDDD5rQoY4ZFzfyEWlbYqixVo677s2uwndXHU924LSJs21YF1Af_eXMaLi7k0Wv3iV68syayn8RQz0s2NNEa5rt5BIk0h6ug635_xjiGWowAAAA&R=45182604
Ramblings of Jhenry 