All the Way to Havana, written by Margarita Engle, illustrated by Mike Curato
Reviewed by: Brian Wilson
Children
Title: All the Way to Havana
By: Engle, Margarita
Published: 2017
Call #: JPicture Engle.M
Packed with vibrant illustrations, this engaging road trip of a picture book shows how many of the cars driven in Cuba are pre-1959. Cinematic in nature, Mike Curato’s art feels like a wide-screen movie as a boy travels with his family from his small town to Havana in order to see his newborn baby cousin. They drive in their old blue automobile, also known as “Cara, Cara,” which makes all kind of chattering noises. Margarita Engle punctuates her lively text with sound effects and some Spanish words that invite audience participation. Curato gives the reader different views of the car as the boy and his Papá attempt to give the rattling parts a fixer upper. As the car zooms along, picking up neighbors who also need a ride, Curato fills the drawings with eye-popping colors (especially in one spread when we see a wide array of vehicles). After the family arrives to their destination readers will feel that they too have made this journey. A beautiful final image promises that one day Cara Cara will belong to this resourceful boy.
