A Must Read-This is one of the Best!

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	• Grandma's Records Walker Books for Young Readers, 2004 - 32 pages average customer review:based on 3 reviews view larger image
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A Must Read-This is one of the Best!

When your eyes feast upon the frontispiece illustrations-before the story has even begun-you know you're into something good. Eric Velasquez serves up a sometimes dazzling, sometimes quiet, evocation of the magic of album covers, salsa music, and warm family love in this autobiographical reminiscence of his childhood in Spanish Harlem.

The pictures can be eye-popping dazzling; many times they are more serene one-panel set pieces. At all times, they accurately and richly convey emotion and setting. Here, the settings range from Grandma's house in El Barrio, to a brightly lit nightclub (both inside and out) in the Bronx, and even to young Eric's imagination.

The plot revolves around Eric and his grandmother, who met many of the best salsa players while growing up in Puerto Rico. The furnishings and her love of a few material objects suggest her relatively modest means: her record player and records. Without a trace of melodrama or contrivance, author/illustrator Velasquez shows music's importance to "Grandma":

"Sometimes," Grandma said, "a song can say everything that is in your heart as if it was written just for you."

She says this, covering her heart, and at the side, we see a picture of her and her husband long ago in Puerto Rico. There is joy as well. Listening to a meringue from the Dominican Republic, Grandma sways her hips, moves her arms, and generally loses herself in the rhythms. There's one shockingly good picture showing a somewhat older Eric drawing sketches based on album covers: "As I drew, I could see the record covers coming to life and the bands performing right there in Grandma's living room." Bright, angular, Picasso-like suggestions of musicians playing their instruments fill the page.

The narrative turns on an invitation from Grandma's band member friends (Rafael Cortijo "to bomba y plena what Duke Ellington was to jazz," Ishmael Rivera, and Sammy Ayala) to hear them at a nightclub. Grandma and Eric wear their best clothes, walk into the darkened theater, and begin to hear a conga beat "BOOM BAK BOOM BAK BOOM BAK. Then the lights came on with a loud BOOM, and the band began to play the song "El Bombom de Elena" ("Elena's Candy")." Eric and his Grandmother share a strong love for each other, bound, in part, by the riches of their shared music. "Even today," writes Velasquez, "I imagine I'm back in Grandma's living room and she turns to me and says, "You be the DJ today. Siempre me gusta tu selección." ("I always like your selection.")

First published in 1991, this is one of the best books for kids and adults I've read this year. By the way, Eric Velasquez received the Codetta Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent for his illustrations in "The Piano Man." I recommend "Grandma's Records" with a sense of discovery and enthusiasm!

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A Sweet Story.

This is a sweet story of the relationship of a boy and his Grandmother. Music was very important to Eric's Grandmother and she shared that with him. This would be another good book for History or Social Studies. The Grandmother is from Puerto Rico and her music is from the islands. Could be used in a unit about immigrants, Puerto Rico, Music, or Art. Recommended for ages 5-8 years.

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This is a beautiful book!

This is a beautiful book - the story and the illustrations will truly touch your heart as they did mine. I am in my thirties and just happened to see this book when passing through the children's section of the library. I had to have this! Eric Velasquez passes on the special gift of remembrance of the close bond that he shared with his abuela. You can see and feel every ounce of their love for each other and music on each page. Kids and adults alike NEED more books like these.

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Every summer, Eric goes to live with his grandmother in El Barrio (Spanish Harlem) while his parents work. Through the long hot days, Grandma fills her apartment with the blaring horns and conga drums of Bomba y Plena, salsa, and merengue-the music she grew up with in Puerto Rico-sharing her memories and passions with Eric.

But Eric sees Grandma in a new light when she gets them tickets to hear their favorite band in concert. The music sounds so different than it does at home on their scratchy records. And then the lead singer serenades Grandma right in front of the whole audience!
Join Eric Velasquez on a magical journey through time and across cultures, as a young boy's passion for music and art is forged by a powerful bond between generations.

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