  | Eloisa's musical window Author: Engle, Margarita | |
| Price: $23.78 | ||
Summary:
Eloisa's struggles fade away when she sits by the window and listens to the neighbor's radio, and one magical day young musicians gather outside and turn the neighborhood into a joyful orchestra of neighbors and strangers. Includes information on different instruments.
| Illustrator: | Parra, John |
Reviews:
Kirkus Reviews (+) (06/01/24)
School Library Journal (10/04/24)
Booklist (06/01/24)
The Hornbook (00/09/24)
Full Text Reviews:
School Library Journal - 10/04/2024 Gr 1–4—Eloísa'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. Eloísa's mother has been feverish and weak from a mysterious illness, but the day that the neighborhood children gather to play their instruments outside Eloísa'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 Eloísa'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 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
School Library Journal - 10/04/2024 Gr 1–4—Eloísa'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. Eloísa's mother has been feverish and weak from a mysterious illness, but the day that the neighborhood children gather to play their instruments outside Eloísa'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 Eloísa'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 Publishers Weekly, Library Journal and/or School Library Journal used with permission.
