TeSoyo i-aulMrnaTeSoyo i-aulMrna
Witnb
Sli óe
Ilsrtdb
JmsRySnhz
I h ihsI h ihs
At1 rwn pi Ne okCt
“I know another one!” six-year-old Lin-Manuel Miranda called out during his piano recital. When
people clapped for his song, he began a new one. More clapping. Lin-Manuel kept playing. Four
songs later, the teacher gently pulled him away. Other kids needed a turn!
Lin-Manuel was born on January 16, 1980, in New York City. He grew up in a
neighborhood called Inwood. Many Latinos from the Caribbean lived in this area.
Lin-Manuel’s parents, Luis and Luz, were born in Puerto Rico.
Music lled the Miranda home. Lin-Manuel sang along as show tunes rang through the house. He also
liked Disney musicals, hip-hop, and rap.
“He loved words and songs,” his mom said. “He was always creating.”
Lin-Manuel’s dad made sure he
learned to dance. “at was very,
very important,” Luis said.
He taught his children how to
do the salsa, a dance popular in
Puerto Rico.
Every summer, Lin-Manuel and his sister
spent time with their grandparents on the
island of Puerto Rico.
Lin-Manuel loved those visits. He got to
know new people, learn about old traditions,
and listen to Latin music.
At2 rtin uias
e Mirandas loved Broadway,
a famous group of theaters in
NewYorkCity.
ey saw as many shows as they
could, and they loved musicals.
Musicals are plays with singing and
dancing. Lin-Manuel’s family often
bought recordings of the music.
As a child, Lin-Manuel knew he wanted to write musicals. So when he got older, he studied theater.
e rst play he wrote was In the Heights. e characters told their hopes and dreams through Latin
and hip-hop music. It was a hit!
Lin-Manuel was asked to sing at the
White House. People thought he
would sing from In the Heights.
Instead, he rapped about Alexander
Hamilton, a man who lived 250 years
ago! Everyone was surprised. ey
stood up and cheered.
A year earlier, Lin-Manuel had read a book about Alexander Hamilton. Hamilton was born on an island not
far from Puerto Rico. He reminded Lin-Manuel of his own family. Like the Mirandas, Hamilton left his
home and worked hard to make a new life in a new place.
Lin-Manuel wrote a musical about
Hamilton and the other Founding
Fathers. ose were men who helped
make the United States.
Lin-Manuel wanted his show to
“look like America now." He chose
actors from dierent cultures. And
he told the story using today’s music.
Hamilton: An American Musical
brought history to life.
At3 igadGoig
In 2017, a hurricane swept through Puerto Rico. Lin-Manuel rushed to help. He handed out
food and water. To raise money, he ew all the actors from Hamilton to the island. ey put on
shows. He also wrote a special song naming all of Puerto Rico’s 78 cities!
Lin-Manuel has set up many organizations that help
people. He loves to help young actors. Sometimes,
hedrops in on school plays.
Lin-Manuel still loves words and songs.
eboy who loved Disney musicals now
helps design them.
His songs for the movies Moana and Encanto
have won awards. He has also acted in lms
like Mary Poppins Returns.
And he keeps creating.
is line from Hamilton could very well be about Lin-Manuel Miranda:
“ere’s a million things I haven’t done. But just you wait, just you wait…”
Sli óe was born in Cuba, an island not
far from Puerto Rico. When she was 10, she came to
Miami with her family, speaking only Spanish. She
learned English fast, grew up to become a children's
librarian, and then decided to write some books of her
own—many in both English and Spanish. And she still
lives in Miami.
JmsRySnhz grew up in a humble
home in Santa Maria, California, where his love for art
began with reading comics, playing video games, and
watching Saturday morning cartoons. As a kid and as
an adult, he went camping with his grandpa all over
the United States. James's art is uniquely stylized,
focusing on the beauty of simplistic design and color
that expresses his heritage more than words can.
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