Eloísa's Musical Window

Eloísa's Musical Window (2024)
Author: Margarita Engle, Illustrator: John Parra
Publisher: Simon & Schuster, Age: 4 to 8

Inspired by stories from her mother’s childhood, acclaimed author Margarita Engle and award-winning artist John Parra have crafted a vibrant picture book about a young girl and her family who find joy in the music flowing from outside their window.

Eloísa loves music, but with her family too poor to buy a radio, she can only hear it when rhythms and melodies drift through her open window. Birds and cats raise their voices in daily choruses, and songs from a neighbor’s radio travel through the air. On the street below, children shake maracas and beat a steady rhythm on bongo drums and a lute, a cowbell, and un güiro round out the orchestra.

The sounds of her neighborhood are music enough for Eloísa, but when Mamá gets sick and the family can’t afford medicine, can la música soothe her the way it’s always comforted Eloísa?

EDITORIAL REVIEWS:
“Drawing from her mother’s childhood stories, Engle tells a tale of everyday inspiration, propelled by a lilting text that reverberates. . . . A harmonious triumph."—Kirkus, Starred Review

"Focusing on music’s power to heal and uplift" —Publisher's Weekly

"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. ...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."—Booklist Reviews

"A gentle look at one family’s community and culture."—School Library Journal

“Engle’s lyrical text describes noises from the neighborhood animals and the traditional Cuban instruments the musicians play. Parra’s distinctive hand-painted and digitally collaged art features characters with different skin tones and uses a pleasantly washed-out palette for backgrounds.” —The Horn Book

AWARDS:
Junior Library Guild Gold Standard Selection
NY Society of Illustrators, Original Art Show Selection
"Starred Review" Kirkus Review

ORDER: Amazon, Bookshop, BAM, B&N
Additional Languages: Amazon (Spanish Text)

MEDIA: Goodreads, etc.