Starred review from June 1, 2024
A child hears music in every sound, however ordinary. Elo�sa loves music, but her family can't afford a radio. So she sits by the window, "listening to la m�sica that floated in from a neighbor's house." Other sounds surround Elo�sa. Parrots and doves share "nature's gentle serenades," cats and dogs meow and bark, el lechero's cow clip-clops, and a boy on a horse tap-taps past the window as she and her brother, Pepe, watch. It's enough to make Elo�sa run outside and dance--but she's too shy. Outgoing Mam� would be dancing, but alas, she's sick in bed with a fever; Pap� goes in search of medicine. One sunny day, the neighborhood children gather near Elo�sa's window, maracas, claves, drums, and more in hand to create m�sica. Heartened by the festive sounds, a recuperated Mam� rises from bed, aided by Elo�sa, Pap�, and Pepe, as music beckons from the street. Drawing from her mother's childhood stories, Engle tells a tale of everyday inspiration, propelled by a lilting text that reverberates. Parra's acrylic paint artwork uses warm colors and earth-toned landscapes to depict a Cuban neighborhood brimming with smiling, brown-skinned faces. An appended catalog succinctly traces the origins of Cuban musical instruments. A harmonious triumph. (Picture book. 4-8)
COPYRIGHT(2024) Kirkus Reviews, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
June 1, 2024
Preschool-Grade 3 Elo�sa is concerned about her mother, who is weak and has a fever. Though the doctor has prescribed pigeon soup, Mam� still grows weaker. She loves music, but the family is too poor to buy a radio, so when their neighbor's radio is playing music, Elo�sa opens her musical window so that they can listen too. One day, a boy plays his guitar and a girl plays her flute just outside the window. As her brother, pap�, and mam� gather to listen, the neighborhood children join in, playing maracas, bongo drums, a lute, and a cowbell. Others dance to the festive sound. Her fever gone, Mam� slowly begins to dance too, and all is well. Based on family stories that Engle's mother once shared about her childhood in Cuba, this tale celebrates the power of music, family, and community. An appended double-page spread introduces 10 Cuban musical instruments. Parra's digitally enhanced acrylic paintings have the directness, the warmth, and narrative quality of folk art, while placing the story within a distinctive setting. A heartening picture book.
COPYRIGHT(2024) Booklist, ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.
June 24, 2024
Focusing on music’s power to heal and uplift, Engle, per an author’s note, reflects on a chapter of her mother’s childhood. In Cuba, young Eloísa finds comfort in music as her mother tries to recover from a serious illness, eating endless bowls of soup. The family cannot afford a radio, so Eloísa listens out the window to the neighbor’s and takes in the musicality of everyday sounds, including cats’ “miau, miau” and a cow’s “mu-muing.” Parra’s signature-style illustrations portray the child sitting at a window with green bars as the community sweetens a difficult time, uplifting Eloísa and her family—and eventually giving way to unfettered connection outside the home. Information about Cuban instruments concludes. Ages 4–8.
September 1, 2024
"Sometimes it felt like the whole world was a parade, performing right outside Eloisa's musical window." Eloisa is grateful for la musica -- usually consisting of a neighbor's radio and other sounds from the street -- and the cheer it brings in this picture book set in a historical Cuba. Her mother is sick, and the only treatment the doctor recommends is "soup, soup, and more soup." When an impromptu live band forms outside the window one day, Eloisa's mother suddenly feels strong enough to walk outside cautiously to listen to the growing fiesta. Engle's lyrical text describes noises from the neighborhood animals and the traditional Cuban instruments the musicians play. Parra's (illustrator of Spanish Is the Language of My Family, rev. 7/23) distinctive hand-painted and digitally collaged art features characters with different skin tones and uses a pleasantly washed-out palette for backgrounds. Music is represented by floating notes as well as blue and red ribbons and starbursts (perhaps a nod to the Cuban flag). An author's note provides some much-needed context about the real-life experience with illness that inspired the story; a glossary of Cuban instruments is also appended. Concurrently published in Spanish as Eloisa y su ventanita musical. Monica de los Reyes
(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)
October 4, 2024
Gr 1-4-Elo�sa's family is too poor to own a radio, but she can enjoy the music from her neighbor's radio and the songs of the birds if she sits by her special window. Cats and dogs, cows and horses lend their own kind of music as they pass by in the street. Elo�sa's mother has been feverish and weak from a mysterious illness, but the day that the neighborhood children gather to play their instruments outside Elo�sa's window, even Mama feels well enough to join the rest of the neighborhood in a dancing, singing fiesta. Based on a childhood experience of the author's mother in Cuba, the story is equal parts about Elo�sa's love of music and her worry for her mother. While the story lacks dramatic tension and feels disjointed in places, the illustrations in acrylic and digital media evoke a loving family and the vitality of a community with a palette of aqua, greens, and muted red. Spanish words are sprinkled throughout, and two pages at the end describe typical instruments used in making Cuban music. VERDICT A gentle look at one family's community and culture.-Jan Aldrich Solow
Copyright 2024 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.
July 1, 2024
"Sometimes it felt like the whole world was a parade, performing right outside Eloisa's musical window." Eloisa is grateful for la musica -- usually consisting of a neighbor's radio and other sounds from the street -- and the cheer it brings in this picture book set in a historical Cuba. Her mother is sick, and the only treatment the doctor recommends is "soup, soup, and more soup." When an impromptu live band forms outside the window one day, Eloisa's mother suddenly feels strong enough to walk outside cautiously to listen to the growing fiesta. Engle's lyrical text describes noises from the neighborhood animals and the traditional Cuban instruments the musicians play. Parra's (illustrator of Spanish Is the Language of My Family, rev. 7/23) distinctive hand-painted and digitally collaged art features characters with different skin tones and uses a pleasantly washed-out palette for backgrounds. Music is represented by floating notes as well as blue and red ribbons and starbursts (perhaps a nod to the Cuban flag). An author's note provides some much-needed context about the real-life experience with illness that inspired the story; a glossary of Cuban instruments is also appended. Concurrently published in Spanish as Eloisa y su ventanita musical.
(Copyright 2024 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)