Cheech The School Bus Driver Now at Book Stores

STUART, FLORIDA (Sept. 1, 2007) Actor and musician Cheech Marin is transporting a character from one of his albums to the pages of a new series of children’s books. Published by Harper Collins and llustrated by the wonderfully talented children's book illustrator, Orlando L. Ramírez.

Actor and musician Cheech Marin is transporting a character from one of his albums to the pages of a new series of children’s books. Published by Harper Collins and llustrated by the wonderfully talented children's book illustrator, Orlando L. Ramírez.

"It's been an excellent experience so far," said Orlando L. Ramirez, the book’s illustrator, "It has been a lot of fun to develop and illustrate the characters and cleverly illustrate the images to echo the sound and movement of Cheech's story".

Cheech the School Bus Driver, based on his popular album of the same name, recounts the stories of students who ride Cheech’s bus to and from school every day.

And this is just the beginning! The Cheech Marin original series, illustrated by the wonderfully talented illustrator, Orlando L. Ramírez, continues in the Spring and Late Fall of 2008 with the release of the second and third titles.

"The kids that Cheech takes to school come to the bus one morning carrying musical instruments, which their beloved driver thinks is a trick to make him jump from some unexpected blast of a trumpet while he's driving.

But the kids tell him they've formed a mariachi band to take part in the Battle of the Bands, and which they have christened "Los Cheecharrones" in honor of their favorite driver.

After a lot of practice and perseverance, the day of the contest arrives and the kids feel overcome by the very different style of the other bands - they're all rock bands that dress, play their instruments and act in a completely different way from them.

The kids consider imitating them, but in the contest they are a big success precisely because of the traditional style they had practiced."

Orlando L. Ramírez graduated from the Ringling School of Art and Design in Sarasota, Florida where he studied illustration and design. He currently lives and works from his studio in South Florida.

Orlando's artistic expression is characterized by his narrative style, his confident use of bold color, and charming, expressive characters. Orlando is represented in children's publishing by Tugeau 2, Inc. Additional clients include Learning Resources, Harcourt, Inc., and McGraw-Hill.

Orlando L. Ramírez is a talented artist whose work has appeared in books, greeting cards, advertisements, internet and magazines. This is his first picture book. He currently runs a multimedia design agency in Florida called, Pinwheel Media. You can visit him online at www.PinwheelMedia.com or www.orlandoramirez.com

Buy a copy of this wonderful book at your local Borders & Barnes and Nobles Book stores or on Amazon:

http://www.amazon.com/Cheech-School-Bus-Driver-Marin/dp/0061132012/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2/002-9264501-1152830?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1188186094&sr=8-2