Tito Puente, Mambo King/Tito Puente, Rey del Mambo by Rafael López

The brief biography provided by Brown also mentions Tito Puente’s humanitarian endeavors: “ Tito founded the Tito Puente Educational Foundation, which offers scholarships to students to study music at the Juilliard School of Music. In general, this book focuses on the collaborations of inspirational Latino icons and their wonderful contributions to the world of music and the arts. This wonderful, colorful story centers on a timeless Latino idol and the musical webs of talent, heritage and friendship that he spun. In the back of Tito Puente, Mambo King/ Rey del mambo, Brown includes a brief, non-fictional biography where she mentions Tito Puente’s many, star-studded collaborations: “ He collaborated with the most famous Latin musicians of the twentieth century, including Machito, Santana, Willie Bobo, Gloria Estefan, La Lupe, and especially Celia Cruz.” Yet many of these names have gained more recognition in the U.S. It won the Pura Belpre Honor Book for illustration in 2014.īrown and López have collaborated before to write My Name Is Celia (2004), a children’s book biography of Celia Cruz, the spectacular, Cuban jazz singer, and one of many iconic musicians with whom Tito Puente worked alongside. Tito Puente, Mambo King/ Rey del mambo is a bilingual picture book that is best for ages 4-7. Although Tito Puente was a beloved and iconic musician, he is not as well known outside of the Hispanic-American community. This lively book narrates the biography of renowned Puerto-Rican/New Yorker musician, Tito Puente, and the lasting impact that he has had on Hispanic-American heritage. Saludos todos! This week we are continuing our theme of unsung heroes, or lesser-known figures, with Tito Puente, Mambo King/ Rey del mambo, written by Monica Brown and illustrated by Rafael López.

Tito Puente, Mambo King/Tito Puente, Rey del Mambo by Rafael López