Award winning author and illustrator, Eric Velasquez reminisces about his summer vacations in his grandmother’s home.  Every day, they’d peruse through albums, dance together and Grandma would teach him about all types of music.  There was one particular song that would transport her back in time to her hometown in Puerto Rico and her life with her late husband.  I don’t want to spoil the story but this gorgeous picture book lovingly illustrates the legacy of music passed down from one generation to the next.

Although it’s a story focusing on a Puerto Rican family living in El Barrio in New York City, anyone can make a connection because music and family is a universal language.  I used to read this to my students when I was a classroom teacher close to 20 years ago and the children would make so many connections.  Just the other day, my husband read it for the first time to our daughter and I could hear him from another room getting choked up as he read the words aloud to her.  I, myself, still get emotional after all these years.  It’s just that beautiful of a story. 

And if you’re interested in a “sequel”, Velasquez wrote the inspiring “Grandma’s Gift”, which I also proudly wrote a review on.