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List Price: $16.99 | | Publisher: HarperCollins
Salesrank: 1254949
Released: June 26, 2007 |
| Our Price: $1.40 |
| Used Price: $0.31 |
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| Media: Hardcover |
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Editorial Review:
Why can't all bus drivers be as cool as Cheech?
When the kids on the school bus decide to enter the Battle of the Bands, no one is more excited than Cheech. On the big day, they all pile into the bus and get ready to groove! But when they arrive, they find they're the only mariachi band in the whole contest—and the rock and roll bands look awesome!
In this zany story by beloved performer Cheech Marin, the band tries every trick in the book to make their act mea-sure up—with hilarious results! How will mariachi ever compete against rock and roll?
Cheech the School Bus Driver Reviews:
Cheech the School Bus Driver 
2009-09-07 - Marin, C. (2007). Cheech the School Bus Driver. New York: HarperCollins Publishers.
0061132012
Cheech the school bus driver guides several students who are preparing for a battle of the bands. While the students are initially intimidated by the other bands who use costumes, dances and loud noise to win over the audience. With Cheech's encouragement, the students decide to play and dress as a traditional mariachi band.
This picturebook includes fun and colorful illustrations to support the text and celebrates the Chicano experience.
My one critique of this story is the fact that the adult character, Cheech, is at the center of the story instead of the kids.
Activities:
This would be an excellent book to discuss ideas of maintaing culture in the face of pressure to assimilate, chicano culture and mariachi music. Cheech the School Bus Driver could also be used to present young musicians with the idea of a battle of the bands if there were ever a school or community competition.
Or going a different direction, this book could be used to show how kind and supportive a bus driver can be to nervous new riders.
Quotes of Note:
"My name is Cheech, and I'll be your school bus driver today. I am a really, really, really, REALLY good bus driver. I always get to school on time, and I never, ever ever, EVER get lost."
"The kids on my bus usually carry backpacks and schoolbooks. But one Monday, the kids got on the bus with musical instruments instead."
"We're just starting a mariachi band, to play in the Battle of the Bands! And we named ourselves the Cheecharrones!"
"Mariachi can beat rock and roll any day!"
Is Battle of the Bands Just for Rock N' Roll? 
2008-07-16 - Cheech Marin was part of the comedy duo Cheech and Chong. He is Latino and is writing children's books now. This one is cute. A group of kids want to compete in the Battle of the Bands at school, Cheech as the school bus driver, encourages them not to be a rock n' roll band like the others but learn to play Mariachi. The kids practice and learn, will they win? Kids will like this. I only wish an Audio CD accompanied the book.
