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

As a teacher, this is a great book to read to kids of elementary-school age (grades 1-8).!!

I love stories like that told in Ada's Violin. While the story begins in a shantytown built around a garbage dump and seems like it will be depressing, that quickly changes when Favio Chavez arrives to teach the local children to play musical instruments. The problem is that none of these children's families can afford a music instrument, especially since they are all struggling just to survive. So, what do they do? They create instruments out of garbage. The ingenuity expressed in the creation of these instruments is truly inspiring. And Comport's beautiful illustrations show this wonderfully. The amount of work the children and their teacher undergo to develop their musical ability in the midst of hardship and heat and the smell of garbage. Amazingly enough, this seemingly simple idea changed not only their town, but the world beyond. I love stories like this one because they remind me that no matter how ugly the world can get, there is still hope. A beautifully told, truly inspiring true story about the impact that one person or small group of people can have on the world around them.

This book is a must read for any age. It's inspiring and moving, so much so it makes me emotional every time I read it. I read it to my students and after I had finished the book the entire class was deathly silent, an amazing feat for rambunctious second graders. They were absolutely fascinated by this book.This book showcases one man's passion that radically changed an entire village and the perseverance and dedication of his students. In the village of Cateura, the main garbage dump for Asuncion, Paraguay, a girl named Ada wanted to learn how to play music. Also in village, a musician, Senor Chavez, wanted to give the children a hope and a future. He offered music lesson and Ada and other children signed up. Unfortunately, There weren't enough instruments to go around, so with lots of help and ingenuity Senor Chavez created instruments from trash. The children spent long hours practicing and created an orchestra. Eventually, the orchestra toured throughout the world.

Wow, this book will touch your heart and inspire you, no matter what age you are! You may have seen the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay on 60 Minutes or elsewhere, but now here is a beautifully written and illustrated picture book about them, told through the eyes of one participant, Ada Rios. I loved it! Ada lives with her family in a landfill (!) in Cateura, Paraguay. An environmental engineer (Favio Chavez), sent to work on the landfill, wants to help the children there and offers free music lessons. Instruments are devised from materials collected from the garbage, the children learn musical skills and discipline, and an orchestra is born that shares beauty, hope and inspiration. The writing is lovely (Ada "could soar on the high, bright, bittersweet notes to a place far away. She could be who she was meant to be.", and the illustrations are full-page and powerful. The author includes notes, links, sources and a quote from Margaret Mead, "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." This book is a wonderful way to share this idea with children.

An amazing story, which carries an important life message of both persistence and perseverance. I have used the book in conjunction with videos as an extension lesson in my Spanish classroom to demonstrate the importance of becoming bilingual, which for some is difficult and requires a lot of work. In addition, as a science geek, I am tremendously passionate about the environment and take every opportunity to make students see the necessity to care for the environment! What better way than to make "Music" out of trash!

This was a wonderful book about the reality of slums where people live in trash heaps.. and a bunch of kids who learned to make instruments made from that garbage. It is such a good story for our kids to read so they can understand and be compassionate for others.

This book took me back to my childhood. Hard work, humility and creativity paid off for this children. I enjoyed reading Ada’s story.

Everything about this is lovely, the true story, the writing and the artwork. It lets kids know how others have had to struggle in life, in a way that builds empathy and respect. It made me tear up thinking about how music has also helped me in my life.

Libro con illustrazione bellissima che suggerisce davvero la creatività del racconto. Si tratta di una storia vera e speciale che coinvolge ancora di più nella lettura. Lettura adatta a bambini di 8/10 anni e non impegnativo. Si legge in 30 minuti circa.

I was so happy to find this book available. I’ve been teaching text-to-world connections to my grade 5 students using online videos of the Landfill harmonics story, but now I have a book to go with the videos. I am even planning to use this book when make text-to-text connections with the kids as we compare this book to “Armando and the blue tarp school” or “One Plastic Bag”. Even my own kids 4 and 8 enjoy this book. It is beautifully illustrated and is a great conversation starter with any age group.

Ada's Violin: The Story of the Recycled Orchestra of Paraguay tells of the lives of children in Paraguay whose live impoverish and dangerous lives by the rubbish dumps. Their parents sift through the dumps to recycle rubbish for hours every day. When the children have the opportunity to learn an instrument and join the orchestra, getting instruments is a hurdle - even if they had them, they would be too valuable to keep in the slums. So they have instruments made from recycled materials instead and have enjoyed world success. Finances from the orchestra are helping to build houses and better futures. An inspiring book this would be great to use in school for a South American unit, a unit looking at other children's lives or a unit looking at how one person can make a difference.

A beautiful and inspiring book that arrived promptly in excellent condition. This is my second purchase of this title. The first I gave to my daughter, a music teacher, who also has one son playing a violin and a husband who made a cello for the second son. We all treasure this story.

What a heartwarming, true story. It has great and evocative illustrations. There’s a fabulous message and again children could be encouraged to make their own ‘junk’ instruments and band.