Review of Doña Fela's Dream

The Story of Puerto Rico's First Female Mayor

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

Little, Brown and Company

(pub. 9.3.2024)

48 pages

Ages 4 - 8

Author: Monica Brown

   Illustrator: Rosa Ibarra

Character: Doña Fela

Overview:

" Though she was born before women on her island were allowed to vote, Felisa Rincón de Gautier did not let that stop her from becoming the first female mayor of San Juan, Puerto Rico, in 1946. Easily spotted on the streets of San Juan by her flair and the jasmine flowers braided into her hair, she radiated style and grace. Doña Fela, as she affectionately came to be called, loved her city.  

Doña Fela was always ready to listen to problems and find solutions. With determination and resilience, she brought lasting change to the island."

Tantalizing taste:

"Doña Fela, alcaldesa, believed it was love, not just politics, that got things done. The people of San Juan loved her, and she loved them back. She won every election and served as mayor for decades ... and she taught every child in Puerto Rico that, in the sunlight that comes after the rain, flowering dreams can grow."

And something more: Rosa Ibarra, shared in the Artist's Note: "Doña Fela lived on Caleta de San Juan, one street over from my family, in a house that is now a museum in her honor...She was always outside and available to all, a loving woman to whom people were instantly drawn... I always felt affection for Doña Fela, but the more research I did, the more I appreciated what a visionary she was for her time and how much she did for the Puerto Rican people."