**Update – Thanks to Mariana Ruiz who commented on this post, we now know it’s very unlikely this story is set in Bolivia, so I’m going to have to keep looking. Luckily she did have a lead, which I’m going to check out very soon (I just put it on hold at my library). I’m leaving this post up for now however, because The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet is a fun story and I think it’s important to show that I have, and will continue to learn from other people.**
I have had a very hard time finding stories from Bolivia. I came across one on Kids Travel Books, but there is some question. Bolivia is not specifically named, although the setting of the story is the village of La Pez, which is a city in Bolivia (although there also appears to be a town with the same name in Mexico). The author is Cuban American, and the book has also appeared on lists for Cuba. I’m going to leave it here for now, but if I ever find out its set outside of Bolivia I will set the record straight.
If you know of any other great stories set in Bolivia, or by a Bolivian author, please let me know so I can add them to our list!
Kid Reads
the Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet
La Paz was a noisy village, one where song abounded. Deciding it was too noisy, the people decided to fire the mayor. Don Pepe, the only one who promised peace and quiet, was elected soon after.
Then, laws were posted in the village square. They started simple enough, “No Loud Singing in Public, Por Favor.”. But soon there was a whole list that excluded singing everywhere. Everyone was afraid to make a noise.
Until…a rooster and his family showed up. All the rooster wanted to do, of course, was sing. No matter what the mayor did or threatened, the rooster kept singing. The mayor was willing to try anything. But the rooster would not be silenced. He explained that he sings for the people who dare not sing, or the ones who have forgotten how, for a song “will never die – so long as there is someone to sing it.”.
From a fun story comes an important message about how people should have the freedom to speak (or sing) their mind despite what leaders may say.
The story itself is bouncy and humorous. My kids loved saying “kee-kee-ree-KEE!” like the rooster does over and over. While at first they liked the new mayor who kept the peace like the people wanted, they did come to dislike him for being too strict. This would be a great way to begin talking about types of government, laws, and resistance.
Title: The Rooster Who Would Not Be Quiet
Author: Cuban-American writer Carmen Agra Deedy
Illustrator: Russian-American artist Eugene Yelchin
Publisher: Scholastic Press [2017]
I borrowed this book from our local library.
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Kids Read the World 
HI! I am afraid that is in fact not a Bolivian Book, and must refer to the Mexican town as La Paz is in the Andes region and has a very distinct mountain line. (Check Claudia Bellante’s The wrestling Cholitas of Bolivia, to see what I mean). I would think that Bolivian book should have at least a Bolivian author or collaboration.
Not many books have been translated into English, I have the contact of one author thar resides in the States if you’d be interested.
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Hi Mariana,
Thank you so much for confirming my suspicions. I’m grateful you took the time to comment. I have learned so much over the past 3 years from other readers. This project has turned out to be a lot more difficult than I had originally thought for a variety of reasons. Luckily my library has The Wrestling Cholitas of Bolivia so I’ll be reading that (and fixing my post – which I’ve already updated) soon. If you have the contact info for the author you mentioned I will definitely get in touch. Thank you again!
Lori
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