Move Over Madonna, Gloria Estafan is Here

Posted on October 11, 2005

Singer Gloria Estefan has been wanting to write a book for a long time. She considered writing her life story, but decided in the end to write a children's book. The Magically Mysterious Adventures of Noelle the Bulldog will be released nationwide on October 11th.

"I�m a writer and this is what I love to do. There�s no reason that just because you�re a celebrity you can�t write," Estefan, known for hits like "Conga" and "Rhythm is Gonna Get You," told Reuters in a recent interview. "I�ve been offered a lot of things that celebrities do that I wouldn�t do, like perfumes, lines of clothing and this, that and the other," she said. "But this is right up my alley."
Estefan�s book stars a wide-eyed bulldog, wide-mouthed Dalmatians, bulbous goldfish and a few birds. "I�m totally animal-oriented," Estefan, 48, said. "I�ve got nine dogs, eight birds, turtles, fish and I had wallabies at one point."
It�s a familiar plot. Noelle the bulldog -- based on Estefan�s own bulldog from Colombia -- is not quite as fast as the Dalmatians, not as buoyant as the goldfish, not even luminous like the fireflies. But Noelle saves the day, managing in one afternoon to retrieve a tennis ball from under a car, return a jumping fish to water and fashion a stairway from cans of beans and sacks of flour to reach a bag of seeds for some hungry birds.
Estefan�s message is, "You don�t have to give up who you are to be successful just because you�re different." The caterpillar-turns-into-butterfly theme may be the oldest in children�s book history, but Estefan says it is heartfelt and mirrors her own experience moving to the United States from Cuba as a young Spanish-speaking child. "I was the only girl in class who spoke Spanish and the first word I learned was 'stupid' because that's what the kid next to me called me," Estefan said. "But within six months, I had won the reading award there."

So, what ever happened to the kid who called little Gloria stupid in elementary school? Somehow, we doubt he's a multiple award-winning multi-millionaire with fans all over the world. Ah, sweet revenge.