Daniel's Ride/el Paseo de Daniel by Michael Perry, Lee Ballard
It's the first day of summer vacation and the sun is shining bright on the big city. Young Daniel is anxiously awaiting the arrival of his big brother Hector and his custom '63 Impala lowrider. Daniel and Hector cruise the boulevard, compete in a lowrider hopping contest at the beach, and drive downtown to visit their artist cousin Diego who's painting an elaborate mural. But the ride doesn't end there. Along the way, Daniel receives an unexpected gift from his big brother: the gift of
determination. When Hector promises to give Daniel the car for graduating from high school, Daniel resolves to do just that, so one day he can give Hector a ride to remember.
This engaging tale of brotherly love evolves out of the underrepresented Latino experience and makes it accessible to young people everywhere. Never before has a children's picture book captured the subtleties and nuances of America's true favorite pastime: cruising. Nor has there been a book which reflects the inner city "lowrider" culture in a positive upbeat perspective.
Daniel's Ride/el Paseo de Daniel 5 out of 5based on
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More than 1 year ago
Every boy looks up to his older brother, but not every big brother drives the coolest car in the neighborhood. In Daniel's Ride by San Francisco writer Michael Perry and illustrator Lee Ballard (Free Will; 32 pages; $16; ages 6- up), big brother Hector gives middle-school-age Daniel a ride in his 'candy root beer brown' '63 Impala convertible 'complete with spider hydraulics and gold wire wheels' and a license plate that says '2COOL.' Daniel is thrilled to cruise around town making heads turn, then shocked when Hector offers him a deal: 'You graduate from high school, with plans to go to college, and the car is yours.' A glossary of Spanish words precedes the first page of this hip tale of fraternal motivation, and Spanish phrases keep the dialogue real. Ballard's paintings of intimate urban scenes in glowing sunset tones reflect the warmth of the story. ¿San Francisco Chronicle Book review
