I want to thank NetGalley for giving me a digital copy of “Viva’s Voice” to review.

This book shows how important it is to stand up and speak out about the issues most important to you. Viva’s dad is a bus driver who has to go on strike because he isn’t being paid fair wages. This book serves as a great conversation starter about equity and worker’s rights. It even includes family discussion questions in the back of the book!

I’m not a big fan of this illustration style and that pulled me out of the book a little bit, but the writing mostly made up for it.

I would recommend this book to children whose families are currently striking or might have to strike in the future, so that they can understand what that means and how important it is to speak up and use your voice.

I love a story with a female lead, but to have her use her loud voice was an added bonus. As a Latinx girl, I was often told I was loud and I would have loved to have read an example of a girl like me using her volume for good!

this book contains beautiful illustrations, lovely characters, it talks about an important topic and it's available for kids, the main character Viva is funny and relatable and the relationship she has with her dad is absolutely adorable.

I received an ARC of this through Netgalley for which I am grateful. Viva's voice felt personal to me, not only because of the topic surrounding the book but the connection Viva has with her father. The support and closeness is something many people including myself find comfort in seeing between a child and her dad. The artwork was brilliant, alive, simply beautiful. I really loved the color tones and art style used in this. 4 out 5 stars All of us could find inspiration in being like those bus drivers in the book with loved ones to stand by us and hold our hands when we are unsure about what to do next.

This was a wonderful book to teach about striking and protests. I loved the message about the daughter helping her father, and I think it's so important to see vulnerable adults in children's books!

This book is exactly what I wanted for my daughter. The representation and illustration is beautiful and the story is extremely heartwarming. I was cheering for Viva and her dad as they used their voices to be heard. I love getting to share stories that look different from our life with my daughter and this one is 👌🏼

Representation: 10
Story: 10
Illustration: 10

A book rarely surprises me by representing something I hadn't considered before, but Viva's Voice did. Strikes are part of many families' lives, and this book explains them in child-friendly terms. As a child who joined my parents in a few strikes, I loved the inclusion of Viva by her dad.

** Thanks to the publishers and NetGalley for the ARC in return for an honest review. **

I loved this mix of emotional father & daughter relationship and protest/striking history education. Balanced out with vibrant artwork, this was both a powerful and charming picture book and I really enjoyed reading it.

Thanks to Kind World Publishing and NetGalley for the advanced copy :)

The first thing to catch my eye was the artwork. The beautiful cover instantly drew me in. “Why is there a child sitting on the shoulders of an adult? Is that a protest sign? Is this a children’s book about protesting?! SELECT.”

Viva is such a lovable character! From page one I adored her outgoing and boisterous personality! She is clearly very adored by her family, and loves them very much in return. So when Papi explains that she can’t join him at work due to a strike, she manages to convince him to bring her along ( with the help of Mami ;) )

The way the strike was explained was simple, and effective. The pages that showed the workers on strike were beautiful. The scene with Papi and Viva making a speech was powerful. I hope the workers get everything they demand, but we never really found out. Perhaps you can have a conversation with your kiddo about it! My one slight recommendation would be to put some translations at the back of the book for those who don’t speak Spanish. However, that is a very small request since Google translate is very much a thing for anyone with a smartphone, haha. A stunning children’s book, and I can’t wait to buy a copy upon release! A must recommend to everyone I know who works with children, or has their own.

The overall lesson is important, and I think this quote describes it best:
“One voice alone is quiet. But lots of voices together can make a big noise.”

Be sure to talk with your child, and let them know they can use their voices to change the world one day <3

Flash score: 4.7

Viva's Voice by Raquel Denoso is about Viva, a boisterous 5 year old with a voice to match. She loves to spend time with her dad at work on his bus route. When the first day of summer break arrives, Viva looks forward to spending it with her dad but her dad has bad news, the bus drivers are on strike and he won't be driving a bus until the workers get better pay and benefits. When Viva learns what a strike is, she asks her dad to accompany him and when she does, she sees picket signs and chants with the crowd. Viva even uses her voice to help her dad when he's nervous about giving a speech at the strike.

I like that this book empowers children to be brave and make a difference. Viva, was brave and supportive which are great qualities to model for children. I also enjoyed the illustrations, they were vivid and my favorite part of the story.

Educational and fun, this book is a great way to introduce children to complex topics like unions, fair wages, and community organizing and even simpler ones like bravery. I would recommend this read to family and friends.

Thank you Kind World Publishing, Raquel Donoso, and Netgalley for the opportunity to review this ARC.

I was deeply moved when I learned about Viva's story through the author's personal experience. Viva's voice, in my opinion, contains many positive messages for young readers to be more courageous in expressing their opinions for the sake of justice for the people we care about; in addition, the illustrations are very beautiful.

Viva' voice is a heartwarming story with stunning illustrations. The pictures were exuding happiness and excitement. That was adorable. I loved the father-daughter duo. The fact that the book is inspired by the writer's childhood memory makes it all so much more precious. The descriptions of Viva's father's job and why a strike was needed was described in an easily understandable and interesting way. Viva's infectious energy, the importance of raising voices together and how having our close ones supporting us increases our self-confidence were the most highlighted parts. I thought there would be more to the story and a bit of emotional touch but this version is great too! Also, the phrase 'Music to her ..... ' was used 3-4 times. Though it wasn't super annoying, It could've been avoided. Good one!

Viva’s Voice by Raquel Donoso & Carlos Vélez

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is a short picture book about a young girl learning about unions and the importance of protests and speaking up for your community.

I loved this. There was a wide range of diverse characters and I really liked the plot. I think it’s important that we teach our children to protect our communities and speak up for injustices through peaceful protests. I liked that the author including extra information in the book and also asked some questions for you to think about. I think the author carried out their lesson through this book in such a great way. I’d recommend this book to parents/guardians and also to teachers.

“One voice alone is quiet. But lots of voices together can make a big noise”

TW/CW - protests

This is a wonderful, empowering book for younger children to read. I really liked how it talked about serious topics in a way that is suitable for kids to understand. I loved how Viva was confident and cheerful, and I think this book will teach kids an important lesson of using their voices to make a change.

Viva's Voice is a unique and wonderful children's book about using your voice for good. Viva is an exuberant little girl with a quiet father. He is a bus driver whose union goes on strike. I love that she encouraged her father to find his voice. I liked the adorable illustrations.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This was such an amazing book!! The story was important and beautifully told, and the illustrations were absolutely stunning. I have never seen the subject matters discussed in this book in a children's book before, and I think it's a really great step to make! This is definitely a book I wound purchase and will definitely recommend it to my friends.

𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 to the Kind World Publishing for a digital copy of this book! This book is due for publication 8/16/22.

💙 Mommy (@𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭.𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐦𝐨𝐦) and Ronan (@𝐭𝐡𝐚𝐭𝐛𝐨𝐨𝐤𝐤𝐢𝐝) approved ✅

𝑻𝒉𝒊𝒔 𝒓𝒆𝒗𝒊𝒆𝒘 𝒘𝒊𝒍𝒍 𝒃𝒆 𝒑𝒐𝒔𝒕𝒆𝒅 𝒐𝒏 𝑰𝒏𝒔𝒕𝒂𝒈𝒓𝒂𝒎 𝒔𝒐𝒐𝒏 𝒂𝒏𝒅 𝑨𝒎𝒂𝒛𝒐𝒏 𝒐𝒏 𝒑𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝒅𝒂𝒚!

Gorgeously illustrated and beautifully written. I really enjoyed the way Viva and Papi were fleshed out as characters in this book - I don't often see this level of depth in illustrated children's fiction! The contrast between Viva's cheerful and loud confidence and Papi's quiet and understand personality was so powerful - loved how they complimented each other.

The human interactions and the educational component of this book are very well balanced. The little context note from Raquel at the end of the book is really great and the discussion prompts are a wonderful idea!

An easy 5 star from me!

This review was first published at my Instagram @miloureadsbooks
This story is based on Raquel Donoso's own experiences as a girl, and it shows that children can be important supporters of social justice. Plus, it features an amazing, caring dad who wants the best for his family.
Viva always had a loud voice, and she loves using it. For example, to greet passengers of the bus that her Papi drives. As a bonus, on some stops, she receives tacos, quesadillas and hot chocolate. On the first day of summer break, she is hoping to ride along with the bus again. However, this time, her dad isn't so sure when he will go to work again. He explains that he and his co-workers are on strike and that he will take part in a protest that day. Viva really want to make some noise for her father and in the end she is able to come along. When her dad is required to make a speech, Viva is the one that gives him the confidence to speak in front of the huge crowd.
The illustration have so much warmth to them, with their orange glow, and seeing Viva and her father interact is just so sweet. Such as how he tucks her in at bed at night or how Viva says her father has never yelled, not even when she has done something wrong. I absolutely loved the integrating of Spanish phrases and how the Latinx community is represented in this story. It's such a great debut, and it will make a fantastic introduction or continuation of any kid's social justice education.

I have never seen a picture book that discusses labor unions and labor strikes like this before. I think it is wonderful to have these topics represented in a book for young readers. I adored the relationship between the father and daughter as well. The artwork was really nice. Would recommend to readers that are interested in picture books about family or would like a book about the above topics.

The excitement of the summer holidays looms for Viva, a spirited young girl with the voice to match. A wonderfully heartwarming story depicting the bond between a father and his daughter. Their bond shines throughout the whole book with the father teaching his daughter how to make voices heard and the daughter sharing her confidence to speak boldly. A picture book for every classroom illustrating that no voice is ever too small.