Calderón celebrates the tenacity and legacy of music star Jenni Rivera in this picture book.
Born Dolores Janney Rivera Saavedra, Jenni Rivera made it clear from an early age that she was destined for great things. She was an ideal student who was talented and fearless in the face of bullies and gender norms. Her path to musical stardom was far from direct; she studied business and worked at a bank before she embraced her dream of writing and recording banda (a genre of Mexican music) songs. The author doesn’t shy away from some hard truths: Jenni’s obstacles to success were largely due to her gender in a historically male-dominated genre. But her hard work eventually led her to an audience, and, after achieving success, she contributed to philanthropic causes and remained humble, making her an ideal role model for young readers following the bilingual text in both English and Spanish. De Luca’s colorful digital illustrations are at their best when showing Jenni’s performances. Calderón’s narrative focuses on Jenni’s career rather than her personal life; even so, readers may wish for more details about Jenni’s creative process and more specific examples of her charitable actions. Still, Calderón’s message reads loud and clear: As Jenni says, “Don’t wait for someone to believe in you. Believe in yourself.”
The inspiring, if somewhat abrupt, story of a Mexican American musical icon.