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Ada's Violin

The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay

Illustrated by Sally Wern Comport

LIST PRICE ₹699.00

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About The Book

From award-winning author Susan Hood and illustrator Sally Wern Comport comes the extraordinary true tale of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay, an orchestra made up of children playing instruments built from recycled trash.

Ada Ríos grew up in Cateura, a small town in Paraguay built on a landfill. She dreamed of playing the violin, but with little money for anything but the bare essentials, it was never an option...until a music teacher named Favio Chávez arrived. He wanted to give the children of Cateura something special, so he made them instruments out of materials found in the trash. It was a crazy idea, but one that would leave Ada—and her town—forever changed. Now, the Recycled Orchestra plays venues around the world, spreading their message of hope and innovation.

About The Author

Photograph courtesy of the author

Susan Hood has written more than 200 picture books. She has received starred reviews in Publishers Weekly and Booklist, and her book Spike, The Mixed-Up Monster won the 2013 International Latino Award and was selected for the Charlotte Zolotow Highly Commended List. The Tooth Mouse was named a 2013 Best Book of the Year by Bank Street and the Cooperative Children’s Book Center. Prior to becoming an author, Susan was a children’s magazine editor at Scholastic and Instructor Magazine, a book editor at Sesame Workshop, and the Children’s Content Director of Nick Jr. MagazineAda’s Violin is her latest nonfiction picture book and Lifeboat 12 is her first novel in verse. Visit her at SusanHoodBooks.com/Home.

About The Illustrator

Photograph by Coleman Sellers Photography

Sally Wern Comport has illustrated numerous picture books and novels, including Love Will See You Through: Martin Luther King Jr.’s Six Guiding Beliefs (as told by his niece)Brave Margaret: An Irish AdventureHanging Off Jefferson’s Nose: Growing Up on Mt. Rushmore; and the Spy Mice series. She has also translated her picture making skills to various large-scale public, private, and institutional artworks. Sally lives with her husband and two daughters in Annapolis, Maryland, where she operates Art at Large Inc. Learn more at ArtAtLargeInc.com.

Product Details

  • Publisher: Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers (May 3, 2016)
  • Length: 40 pages
  • ISBN13: 9781481430951
  • Ages: 4 and up

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Raves and Reviews

"The mixed-media collages are a particular effective medium for this true story, layering images of Ada and the orchestra over the landfill. The nuances of the subject may strike a stronger chord with adults rather than children, but the interesting visuals and the underlying message of hope and perseverance should help this find an audience."

– Booklist

"Comport's complex, digitally enhanced collages combine acrylics, drawing, and layered typographic elements, conveying both the oppressive omnipresence of garbage and the functional beauty of the handcrafted instruments. . . . Pair with the suggested video links to experience the music of a remarkable, resilient cultural community. "

– Kirkus Reviews

*“A virtuoso piece of nonfiction, gloriously told and illustrated.”

– School Library Journal, Starred Review

* “Comport (Love Will See You Through) employs a vibrant collage technique…to form colorful, almost ethereal backdrops. . .[An] uplifting, instructive story.”

– Publishers Weekly, Starred Review

"The illustrations, compilations of torn paper, paint, and pen and ink illustrations, add to the feeling of being within the landfill, and are a beautiful representation of the location...Highly Recommended."

– School Library Connection

Recipient of the E.B. White Read Aloud Award

Awards and Honors

  • Kansas NEA Reading Circle List PrimaryTitle
  • Christopher Award
  • Flora Stieglitz Straus Award
  • Nutmeg Book Award Nominee (CT)
  • Great Lakes Great Books Master List (MI)
  • ILA Notable Books for a Global Society
  • Texas Bluebonnet Master List
  • Connecticut Book Award Nominee
  • Red Clover Book Award Nominee (VT)
  • Green Earth Book Award Selection Title
  • Rhode Island Children's Book Award Nominee
  • Eureka! Excellence in Nonfiction Gold Award (CA)
  • Wisconsin State Reading Association's Reading List
  • NCTE Orbis Pictus Recommended Book
  • Center for the Study of Multicultural Children's Literature Best Multicultural Books List
  • New York Public Library Best Books for Kids
  • Black-Eyed Susan Book Award Nominee (MD)
  • Américas Award for Children's and Young Adult Literature
  • Louisiana Young Readers'Choice Award Nominee

Resources and Downloads

High Resolution Images

More books from this author: Susan Hood

More books from this illustrator: Sally Wern Comport