Building an Orchestra of Hope: How Favio Chavez Taught Children to Make Music from Trash

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.

Mississippi Children's Museum The Magnolia Book Awards 3rd-5th Grade Nominee (2025)

The Writers' League of Texas Book Award - Picture Book (2022)

The Children's Book Council Teacher & Librarian Favorites List - 3rd-5th Grade (2023)

The Children's Book Council Children's Favorites Award List (2023)

Missouri Association of School Librarians (MASL) Dogwood Readers Award Grades K-2 Nominee (2023)

The Nature Generation Green Earth Book Award Recommended Reading List - Picture Book (2024)

Bookstagang Picture Book Guild Best Book in Biography (2022)

Junior Library Guild Selection


Author: Carmen Oliver
Publisher: Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
Published: 10/25/2022
Pages: 44
Binding Type: Hardcover
Weight: 0.85lbs
Size: 11.27h x 8.35w x 0.33d
ISBN: 9780802854674
Audience: Ages 9-12

Accelerated Reader:
Reading Level: 4
Point Value: 0.5
Interest Level: Lower Grade
Quiz #/Name: 522085 / Building an Orchestra of Hope: How Favio Chavez Taught Children to Make Music from Trash


Review Citation(s):
Horn Book Magazine 09/01/2022 pg. 111
Kirkus Reviews 09/15/2022
Booklist 10/15/2022 pg. 48
School Library Journal 10/28/2022 pg. 1
Hornbook Guide to Children 07/01/2022 - Superior,Well Above Average

About the Author
Carmen Oliver is the author of the picture book biography A Voice for the Spirit Bears (Kids Can) and the Bears Make the Best Buddies series (Capstone). She is the founder of the Booking Biz, an agency that brings children's authors and illustrators to schools, libraries, and special events. Carmen lives in Round Rock, Texas, with her family. Visit her website at carmenoliver.com or follow her on Twitter @carmenoliver.

Luisa Uribe has illustrated many books for children, including Your Name Is a Song (Innovation Press), Areli Is a Dreamer (Random House), and Dear Earth.From Your Friends in Room 5 (HarperCollins). In 2018, her work on The Vast Wonder of the World (Millbrook) received the Society of Illustrators Dilys Evans Founder's Award. Luisa lives in Bogotá, Colombia, where she enjoys drawing, reading, and chasing her cat around the house. Visit Luisa's website at luisauribe.com or follow her on Instagram at @lupencita.