All the Way to Havana

by Margarita Engle, Mike Curato (Illustrator)

Overview

So we purr, cara cara, and we glide, taka taka, and we zoom, zoom, ZOOM!

Together, a boy and his parents drive to the city of Havana, Cuba, in their old family car. Along the way, they experience the sights and sounds of the streets—neighbors talking, musicians performing, and beautiful, colorful cars putt-putting and bumpety-bumping along. In the end, though, it’s their old car, Cara Cara, that the boy loves best. A joyful celebration of the Cuban people and their resourceful innovation.

ALSC Notable Book

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781250881663
Publisher:	Square Fish
Publication date:	07/04/2023
Pages:	40
Sales rank:	138,056
Product dimensions:	8.55(w) x 11.05(h) x 0.15(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

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.

Mike Curato traveled to Havana to do visual research and bring All the Way to Havana 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.

Editorial Reviews

"Engle and Curato provide a child's view of Cuba that is extremely accessible and as striking as it is unforgettable. A vibrant snapshot of modern Cuba, full of rich, sensory detail." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review, on All the Way to Havana

" He and Engle chronicle Cara Cara’s journey in loving detail as the family moves along the coast and into bustling city streets, giving readers glimpses into daily Cuban lives—newlyweds in a Dodge convertible, laundry hanging from balconies as “a sea breeze sings.” It’s a wonderful introduction to America’s very nearby neighbor." —Publishers Weekly, starred review, on All the Way to Havana

"Engle’s tone is upbeat throughout: she highlights modest country vistas, picturesque contemporary Havana, busy people going about their daily chores, and the profusion of noisy vintage cars. Curato’s vibrant pencil and digital illustrations depict iconic images of Cuba—small farms, city neighborhoods, and government buildings—all in photographic detail. . . A lyrical and beautiful offering that should help to humanize views of this island nation." —Booklist, starred review, on All the Way to Havana

"A fun addition to the ever-popular genre of transportation picture books—this one with a unique perspective and message of perseverance." —School Library Journal, starred review, on All the Way to Havana

"Engle and Curato collaborate on this captivating road trip, with the steady pulse of Engle’s text (prosy on the page, labeled as poetry in the author’s note) punctuated by taka takas, roars, growls, whines, and putt putts of the vehicles, and Curato’s illustrations gliding smoothly from country- to city-scapes, never far from the edge of the sea. . . catnip for the Cruise Night crowd and for any kid who dreams of one day owning a classic set of wheels." —The Bulletin on All the Way to Havana

"Engle’s use of onomatopoeia, at times replacing the sound of the car with animal sounds (honks, roars, growls, whines), gives a sense of the modern-day blend of rural and city life . . . The mixed-media illustrations capture the brilliant colors and scenic beauty of the island—both landscape and cityscape—as well as the multiracial makeup of its people." —The Horn Book on All the Way to Havana


Drum Dream Girl:

"A beautiful account of a young girl's bravery and her important contribution toward gender equality in the creative arts." —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"The heroine’s tenacity in the face of naysayers will inspire all dreamers." —School Library Journal, starred review

Little Elliot, Big City:

"a terrific emerging talent, with gorgeously rendered images that bring to mind the moodiness of Chris Van Allsburg and the sweetness of William Joyce." —Publishers Weekly, starred review

"Curato, a debut author and illustrator, tucks several gentle messages into one simple story that's perfect for the age group. It is, however, his almost cinematic artwork that's the real showstopper." —Booklist, starred review

From the Publisher

★ 06/12/2017
The pre-1959 American car, held together, as Engle (Lion Island) so evocatively writes, with “wire, tape, and mixed-up scraps of dented metal,” has become a visual trademark of Cuba and testimony to its citizens’ resilience and ingenuity. One of these cars, a bright blue Chevy Delray christened Cara Cara (because her aging, patchwork engine makes sounds “like a busy chicken—cara cara, cara cara, cluck, cluck, cluck”) is the star of this contemporary story, taking the young narrator and his family from their rural home to a celebration with relatives in Havana. The masterly sense of place, color, and shape that make Curato’s Little Elliot stories so touching proves perfect for a landscape that’s larger than life. He and Engle chronicle Cara Cara’s journey in loving detail as the family moves along the coast and into bustling city streets, giving readers glimpses into daily Cuban lives—newlyweds in a Dodge convertible, laundry hanging from balconies as “a sea breeze sings.” It’s a wonderful introduction to America’s very nearby neighbor. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Michelle Humphrey, Martha Kaplan Agency. Illustrator’s agent: Brenda Bowen, Sanford J. Greenburger Associates. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

★ 06/01/2017
PreS-Gr 2—Accompanied by the vibrant onomatopoeia of an old rebuilt car, a brown-skinned boy travels with his family from their village in Cuba to the capital city, Havana, to celebrate the "zero-year birthday" of his cousin. The focus of this colorful picture book is on the car (nicknamed "Cara Cara"), one of Cuba's many mid-20th-century American vehicles maintained through constant tinkering. "Ours is so tired that she just chatters like a busy chicken—cara cara, cara cara, cluck, cluck, cluck." Award-winning poet Engle transports readers to Cuba through her lively verse, and Curato (author/illustrator of the "Little Elliot" series) does the same with his nearly photorealistic illustrations rendered in pencil, with digital color bringing out the bright tones of the tropics. Each spread includes endless detail, from the clothes hanging on the clothesline in the boy's backyard to Havana's beautiful architecture. The stars of the book, of course, are the 1950s cars, which Curato studied on a research trip to Cuba and depicts precisely in all their mixed-and-matched glory. While younger readers will simply enjoy the journey, older children may desire more information about the context of the story, some of which can be found in the author's and illustrator's notes. VERDICT A fun addition to the ever-popular genre of transportation picture books—this one with a unique perspective and message of perseverance.—Clara Hendricks, Cambridge Public Library, MA

School Library Journal

★ 2017-04-26
Off to Havanna!A boy is thrilled to visit his new cousin in the city, but another member of the family, the beautiful, blue antique car called Cara Cara, isn't quite ready yet. (The importance of family and the fact that technology and money are in limited supply come together in the affection the boy holds for Cara Cara, the family heirloom that's been inventively repaired over many years and will belong to the boy himself someday.) Finally, after the boy and his father tinker under the hood, they are off. Colorful, detailed illustrations and animated, evocative text, peppered with Spanish and full of the excitement of a journey, guide readers through their small Cuban town, over roadways, and past other vintage cars to the destination—a family celebration! Energetic descriptions engage virtually all of the senses and will draw in readers across gender, race—the characters are primarily brown-skinned, and the protagonist's family is mixed-race, with a black father and pale-skinned mother—and nationality, while politics go unmentioned, as appropriate to the age of the audience. By focusing on the boy's observations and experiences—clothing hanging on a line, the understanding that you'll always give your neighbors a ride, the sights and sounds of old cars, the presence of crumbling balconies, the scent of the sea—Engle and Curato provide a child's view of Cuba that is extremely accessible and as striking as it is unforgettable. A vibrant snapshot of modern Cuba, full of rich, sensory detail. (Picture book. 3-8)

Kirkus Reviews