Marin, C. (2007). Cheech the School Bus Driver. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
Cheech the school bus driver guides several students who are preparing for a battle of the bands. While the students are initially intimidated by the other bands who use costumes, dances and loud noise to win over the audience. With Cheech's encouragement, the students decide to play and dress as a traditional mariachi band.
This picturebook includes fun and colorful illustrations to support the text and celebrates the Chicano experience.
My one critique of this story is the fact that the adult character, Cheech, is at the center of the story instead of the kids.
This would be an excellent book to discuss ideas of maintaing culture in the face of pressure to assimilate, chicano culture and mariachi music. Cheech the School Bus Driver could also be used to present young musicians with the idea of a battle of the bands if there were ever a school or community competition.
Or going a different direction, this book could be used to show how kind and supportive a bus driver can be to nervous new riders.
Quotes of Note:
"My name is Cheech, and I'll be your school bus driver today. I am a really, really, really, REALLY good bus driver. I always get to school on time, and I never, ever ever, EVER get lost."
"The kids on my bus usually carry backpacks and schoolbooks. But one Monday, the kids got on the bus with musical instruments instead."
"We're just starting a mariachi band, to play in the Battle of the Bands! And we named ourselves the Cheecharrones!"
"Mariachi can beat rock and roll any day!"