A celebration of the life and music of the man known as the "King of the Mambo" and the "Godfather of Salsa" covers his boyhood in New York and his years as a musician and bandleader, and highlights the pleasure he gave listeners. - (Baker & Taylor)

In this vibrant bilingual picture book biography of musician Tito Puente, readers will dance along to the beat of this mambo king's life. Tito Puente loved banging pots and pans as a child, but what he really dreamed of was having his own band one day. From Spanish Harlem to the Grammy Awards'and all the beats in between'this is the true life story of a boy whose passion for music turned him into the "King of Mambo."

Award-winning author-illustrator duo Monica Brown and Rafael López bring the remarkable story of this talented legend to life in this Pura Belpré Honor Book. Supports the Common Core State Standards.

In this vibrant bilingual picture book biography of musician Tito Puente, readers will dance along to the beat of the mambo king's life.

Tito Puente loved banging pots and pans as a child, but what he really dreamed of was having his own band one day. From Spanish Harlem to the Grammy Awards—and all the beats in between—this is the true life story of a boy whose passion for music turned him into the "King of Mambo."

Award-winning author-illustrator duo Monica Brown and Rafael López bring the remarkable story of this talented legend to life in this Pura Belpré Honor Book.

Meet Tito Puente—the King of Mambo.

Tum Tica!

From musical prodigy on the streets of Harlem to five-time Grammy Award winner, Tito's life was full of rhythm. Drums and claves, saxophones and tambourines were all part of the fun.

Tac Tic!

Monica Brown and Rafael López, the award-winning creators of the Pura Belpré Honor Book my name is celia/me llamo celia, team up once again for another spectacular collaboration in this upbeat tribute to a musical legend.

Tum Tic!

Tom Tom!

Conoce a Tito Puente, el Rey del Mambo.

¡Tum Tica!

De prodigio musical en las calles de Harlem a ganador de cinco premios Grammy, la vida de Tito fue muy rítmica. Tambores y claves, saxófonos y panderetas siempre formaron parte de la diversión.

¡Tac Tic!

Monica Brown y Rafael López, los creadores del libro my name is celia/me llamo celia, el cual fue galardonado con el Honor Pura Belpré, se reúnen una vez más para crear otra colaboración espectacular en este alegre homenaje a una leyenda musical.

¡Tum Tic!

¡Tom Tom!

Meet Tito Puente'the King of Mambo.

Tum Tica!

From musical prodigy on the streets of Harlem to five-time Grammy Award winner, Tito's life was full of rhythm. Drums and claves, saxophones and tambourines were all part of the fun.

Tac Tic!

Monica Brown and Rafael López, the award-winning creators of the Pura Belpré Honor Book my name is celia/me llamo celia, team up once again for another spectacular collaboration in this upbeat tribute to a musical legend.

Tum Tic!

Tom Tom!

Conoce a Tito Puente, el Rey del Mambo.

¡Tum Tica!

De prodigio musical en las calles de Harlem a ganador de cinco premios Grammy, la vida de Tito fue muy rítmica. Tambores y claves, saxófonos y panderetas siempre formaron parte de la diversión.

¡Tac Tic!

Monica Brown y Rafael López, los creadores del libro my name is celia/me llamo celia, el cual fue galardonado con el Honor Pura Belpré, se reúnen una vez más para crear otra colaboración espectacular en este alegre homenaje a una leyenda musical.

¡Tum Tic!

¡Tom Tom!

Booklist Reviews

"¡Tum Tica! ¡Tum Tica! The dancers twirled, the lights swirled, and the mambo went on and on." Like so many of Brown's biographies, such as Waiting for the Biblioburro (2011) and Side by Side/Lado a lado: The Story of Dolores Huerta and Cesar Chavez/La historia de Dolores Huerta y César Chávez (2009), Tito's story introduces readers to a vibrant Latino figure. As a baby, Puente made music with pots and pans, and he later grew up to fulfill his dreams as a musician and beloved bandleader. Award-winning illustrator López brings Tito's story to life in vibrant acrylic salsa reds and oranges, which are splashed behind every shake of Tito's hips and wink of his eyes. The swirling, whirling compositions add to the text's rhythmic beat. To continue the rumba after Tito's story has ended, the last page of the book offers a simple melody to play on its own or alongside the book. An author's note (in both English and Spanish) sheds more light on Puente's life. Copyright 2012 Booklist Reviews.

Horn Book Guide Reviews

A bilingual picture book charts the life of Tito Puente with all the exuberance of the drummer and bandleader's irresistible music. Vibrant imagery hums right off the page, full of high-contrast color and energetic composition, and decorated with swirling, starry embellishments. The treatment is not especially deep and is decidedly positive: Tito's life reads like a sequence of successes.

Horn Book Magazine Reviews

A bilingual picture book charts the life of the Mambo King himself, Tito Puente, with all the exuberance of the drummer and bandleader's irresistible music. Beginning with the opening endpapers, where two children peek through a flame-red theater curtain, Brown and López set the stage for a series of tableaux illuminating highlights in the Puerto Rican musician's life. The scenes themselves are simple enough -- Tito takes music lessons, Tito joins the Navy, Tito goes to Juilliard, Tito wins a Grammy -- and are told in straightforward English and Spanish language that lends itself to easy recitation and translation. The vibrant imagery hums right off the page, full of high-contrast color and energetic composition, and decorated with swirling, starry embellishments. The treatment is not especially deep and is decidedly positive: Tito's life reads like a sequence of successes, each met with acclaim from smiling audiences and enthusiastic animals on every page. While a brief biography as an endnote offers a bit more information, this brash, joyous outing lives to express not the facts of Tito Puente's life but the spirit of his music. A final rumba beat, in musical notation, captures the story's irregular refrain: "¡Tum Tica! ¡Tac Tic! ¡Tum Tic! ¡Tom Tom!" thom barthelmess

Kirkus Reviews

Brown and López, who previously teamed for the award-winning My Name Is Celia (2004), collaborate anew in this energetic bilingual tribute to the salsa drummer and band leader extraordinaire. Brown's narrative, simply phrased and peppered with exclamation points, takes her preschool and primary audience from Tito's toddlerhood, banging "spoons and forks on pots and pans," through childhood loves: drum lessons, dancing and stickball on the streets of Harlem. Bouncing through the musician's adulthood, Brown highlights early gigs, a Navy stint (where he learned to play sax) and regular shows at the Palladium in New York City. Puente's dream of heading his own band comes true in a single page turn (though López's depiction of the now white-haired drummer does attest to time's passage). A percussive refrain, fun to read and hear, pops up as part of the Spanish text but resonates in either language: "¡Tum Tica! / ¡Tac Tic! / ¡Tum Tic! / ¡Tom Tom!" López's pictures, layered acrylics on prepared wooden boards, convey salsa's rhythmic exuberance via a riotous palette that includes electric orange, chocolate brown, pale teal, and touches of pink and purple. Multihued swirls and plumes emanate from Tito's timbales and drumsticks; Celia Cruz (a frequent collaborator) soars in a costume whose fuchsia feathers seem to morph from the sea green waves below. A vibrant, reverent celebration of the godfather of salsa. (biographical note; brief musical notation for rumba beat included in the text) (Bilingual picture book/biography. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus 2013 Kirkus/BPI Communications.All rights reserved.

Publishers Weekly Reviews

As Brown explains, Tito Puente (1923–2000) made music his entire life, from banging "spoons and forks on pots and pans, windowsills and cans," to learning the saxophone while serving in the Navy during WWII, studying at Juilliard, and leading the big band that carried his name. Brown's bilingual text echoes the rhythms of salsa, mambo, and jazz ("The claves smacked clackity clackity clack clack"), yet feels somewhat subdued next to Lopez's sizzling acrylics, which have a weathered, mural-like quality but are anything but flat. Ages 4–8. Agent: Stefanie Von Borstel, Full Circle Literary. (Mar.)