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Ada's Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay

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Ada's Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay

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Written by: Susan Hood
Illustrated by: Sally Wern Comport
Brought to you by the award-winning author Susan Hood and Illustrator Sally Wern Comport comes the true tale of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay, an orchestra made up of children playing instruments built from recycled trash from their village.

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Susan Hood is the author of more than 200 children's books. She was most recently the Children's Content Director for Nick Jr. Magazine. Ada's Violin was named an E.B White Read-Aloud Award Book, received the America's Award in 2017, the Christopher Award in 2017,  the Flora Steiglitz Straus Award 2017, the Notable Books for a Global Society 2017 award, and many more awards.
Author Susan Hood interviewed Ada Ríos and Favio Chávez (main characters of Ada's violin) for the book, where she uncovered never heard before details of their story. She is going to donate a portion of the proceeds from the book to the Orchestra.

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Sally Wern Comport started her career of artistry at the age of 15, where she drew furniture newspaper ads for her dad’s advertising agency. Since then she's been drawing and making a name for herself for decades. She can also be seen using her talents for editorial concepts, corporate ideas, children’s publications, commercial branding design, and large-scale art. Comport is a Summa Cum Laude graduate of the Columbus College of Art and Design and earned her graduate degree from Syracuse University. Her work is included in the permanent collection of the Museum of American Illustration in New York. Other notable clients include George Washington’s Mount Vernon, University of Maryland Rehabilitation & Orthopedic Institute, the Harriet Tubman Visitors Center, Anne Arundel Medical Center, and the Maryland Historical Society.

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Ada Ríos grew up in Cateura (located in South America), a small town in Paraguay built on a large landfill. She had always dreamed of playing the violin, but with very little money for anything but the absolute  bare essentials, it was sadly never an option for her. This was all until one day her new music teacher named Favio Chávez arrived in town. He wanted to give the children of Cateura something that they all had wished for, so he made them instruments out of materials found within the trash. It was an insane idea, but one that would leave Ada, and her whole town, forever changed. Now, the Recycled Orchestra plays venues all around the world, spreading their positive and inspiring message of hope.

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This book can be used for many grade levels in my eyes (4th-12th). To be completely honest, I had never heard of this book before but after now finding it, I have shared it with both my fifth grade students and my high school students. The story seems to have struck a chord (literally), with both age groups. Hearing of students that can't get a real violin, viola, cello or bass to play, has genuinely made them open their eyes and see how truly lucky we are.
Using the words and illustrations in this book can be a huge benefit to understanding just how Ada and her family/classmates live from day to day.  In several places in the book, the words and the illustrations show how Ada changed from a girl who imagined a better life to a girl who is now living a better life.
*Writing a narrative sequence is a great activity for this story line.   How exactly did Ada change from being a girl who imagined a better life to a girl who actually lives a better life? Explain four events that led to this change. Use the following list of sequence words to help you explain which event came first, second, etc.. Sequence Words: at first, after, as soon as, next, soon, then, later, before long, in the end, finally
*The author also uses a ton of sensory words to describe what someone might hear or see when walking through Cateura. These descriptions make it easy for you, the reader, to get a better understanding of the surroundings that our characters face everyday. You can have students locate words, or illustrations that may help us understand the setting of the book. Categorize them by sights/sounds/smells, etc..

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I highly recommend using this book for all students- both music and for general studies purposes. This is quality literature for several different reasons, one being that the story line raises awareness for how other less fortunate countries are living currently, and how we can be more resourceful even within our own lives. This awareness of cultures living within poverty can help us to understand the lives of others around us, and around the world. The needs that they have, and the conditions they live within, can sometimes be so hard to understand when we live such cushy lives
The ideas raised in this story show cultural differences and similarities. It also focuses on geography and the landscapes in which others face on a daily basis.
The main characters, both Ada and her teacher Favio, are also wonderful role models for anyone reading this. Ada never loses hope, and Favio uses his originality to make dreams come true.

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Ada's Violin: The story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay by Susan Hood

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Children's Orchestra Play Instruments Made from Trash