Illustrator: Luisa Uribe
Author: Carmen Oliver
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers (Oct. 25, 2022)
Purchase: Bookshop/IndieBound/Amazon/Barnes & Noble
An exuberantly illustrated true story about innovation, community, and the power of music.
In Cateura, Paraguay, a town built on a landfill, music teacher Favio Chavez longed to help the families living and working amid the hills of trash. How could he help them find hope for the future? Favio started giving music lessons to Cateura’s children, but soon he encountered a serious problem. He had more students than instruments!
But Favio had a strange and wonderful idea: what if this recyclers’ town had its own recycled orchestra? Favio and Colá, a brilliant local carpenter, began to experiment with transforming garbage into wonder. Old glue canisters became violins; paint cans became violas; drainpipes became flutes and saxophones. With repurposed instruments in their hands, the children of Cateura could fill their community—and the world—with the sounds of a better tomorrow.
Based on an incredible true story, Building an Orchestra of Hope offers an unforgettable picture of human dignity reclaimed from unexpected sources. Carmen Oliver’s inviting words and Luisa Uribe’s dynamic illustrations create a stirring tribute to creativity, resilience, and the transformative nature of hope.
AWARDS/NOTABLES
A Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection in 2022. Thank you, JLG!
The winner of the 2022 Writers League of Texas Awards in the Children’s Picture Book Category. Thank you, WLT.
A Children’s Book Council Children’s Favorites Award 2023 for 3rd-5th grades. Thank you, CBC!
A 2023 CBC Teacher Favorites Winner and A 2023 CBC Librarian Favorites Winner for 3rd-5th grades. Thank you, CBC!
A Bookstagang Best of 2022 in the Picture Book Biographies category. Thank you, Bookstagang committee!
A 2023-24 Pennsylvania Keystone to Reading Elementary Awards. Thank you, Keystone State Literacy Association.
A 2025 Grand Canyon Reader Award Nominee in Nonfiction. Thank you, Arizona Library Association and committee members!
Recommended Reading for the 2023 Green Earth Book Awards. Thank you, The Nature Generation!
REVIEWS
“An inspiring picture book that demonstrates how environmentalism and the arts can unite to bring joy to an entire community.” — The Horn Book
“This remarkable retelling of the surprising origins of the Recycled Orchestra of Cateura, which has since gained international acclaim, motivates by the sheer ingenuity described…like a dose of pure inspiration.” — Kirkus Reviews
“Oliver conveys Chavez’s story with grace and understanding…A strong nonfiction selection to convey that anything is possible, and that even garbage can lead to hope.” –Jacquetta Etheridge, School Library Journal
