This picture book isn’t out until October, but it’s one for librarians, parents, teachers and music lovers to have on their radar……or pre-order now!
Miguel and the Grand Harmony by Matt de la Pena
Illustrated by Ana Ramirez
(Disney Press – October 10, 2017)
La Musica exists in many places – in the twang of a guitar, in the beat of a drum, even in the whistling wind and the morning bird’s song. She brings color and life wherever she goes, connecting people to a grand harmony. And in the town of Santa Cecilia, she is everywhere.
But when La Musica discovers a boy with longing in his heart and no music in his home, she vows to help him find his passion.
ReviewThanks to Disney Press for the galley of this title for review purposes – all opinions are my own.
I’ll be honest, Matt de la Pena being the author of this picture book would have made it an auto-purchase for my school library even if I hadn’t had the chance to read it early – I absolutely adore his work and Last Stop on Market Street is one of my all time favorites. However, the fact that I DID get a chance to read it early just means I can get that much more excited about getting this book into my library and sharing it with kids!
Narrated by La Musica, this story is one about the love of music and sharing that love with the world. There is friendship, and family, and definitely a theme of making dreams come true. The illustrations by Ana Ramirez are gorgeous and bring the beautiful story, written in both English and Spanish, to life.
The fact that this is tied to a Pixar movie explains why the full story of the boy, Miguel, is not told, and will entice readers to want to see the movie and learn more about the characters. However, as a school librarian I am incredibly happy that this is a stand-alone title and NOT a picture book adaptation of the movie. The movie logo on the cover is incredibly small and tastefully placed in the lower right corner, and does not distract from the rest of the cover.
VERDICT: 5 STARS – This is a required purchase for school libraries, music classrooms and music lovers of all ages.
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