Eric Velasquez

The author describes Christmas at his grandmother's apartment in Spanish Harlem the year she introduced him to the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Diego Velazquez's portrait of Juan de Pareja, which has had a profound and lasting effect on him.

Grandma's Gift

Nikki Grimes

Fourteen poems present the thoughts of people involved in the Nativity, including reflections from Mary, the angel Gabriel, the innkeeper, and Herod.

Voices of Christmas

This prequel to Eric Velasquez's biographical picture book Grandma's Records is the story of a Christmas holiday that young Eric spends with his grandmother. After they prepare their traditional Puerto Rican Christmas celebration, Eric and Grandma visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a school project, where he sees a painting by Diego Velasquez and realizes for the first time that he could be an artist when he grows up. Grandma witnesses his fascination, and presents Eric with the perfect Christmas gift-a set of paints-to use in his first steps toward becoming an artist. A heart-warming story of self-discovery, Grandma's Gift is a celebration of the special bond between a grandparent and grandchild.

Carole Boston Weatherford

An illustrated history of the origins and influences of jazz, from Africa to contemporary America.

The Sound That Jazz Makes

David Francis

Bob Reiser

A wise man named Brulla Roberts once said. "Drummer man's magic doesn't come from the drum. The magic comes from the drummer man. "Undoubtedly true, but, as six-year-old David knows only too well, without that drum there is no drummer man! Ever since he can remember. David's "felt the itch in his fingers and the rhythm in his wrists." He's tried keeping time with anything and everything , including spoons. knives. and shoes. To Mom's dismay, he's even taken apart the legs of a kitchen chair! One Sunday morning. Mom and Dad present him with a real drum and sticks. As Dad says, "Now you don't have to break the furniture." Racing across town to join Brulla's marching band, David drums his heart out. And when a few short hours later that drum tears, so does David's heart. A touching memoir of jazz drummer, David "Panama" Francis. this glowingly illustrated picture book will inspire and captivate young musicians as well as any child with a dream. Luminous oil paintings enhance the gentle story and further reveal the magic of music and the joy it gave to one "drummer man" from old Miami.

David Gets His Drum

What do you do when an octopus captures Grandma? Put on your superhero cape and rescue her! Two stories in one from award-winning Afro-Latino artist Eric Velasquez. The octopus Grandma is cooking has grown to titanic proportions. "¡Tenga cuidado!" Ramsey shouts. "Be careful!" But it's too late. The octopus traps Grandma! Ramsey must use both art and intellect to free his beloved abuela. Then the story takes a surprising twist. And it can be read two ways. Open the fold-out pages to find Ramsey telling a story to his family. Keep the pages folded, and Ramsey's octopus adventure is real. This beautifully illustrated picture book, drawn from the author's childhood memories, celebrates creativity, heroism, family, grandmothers, grandsons, Puerto Rican food, Latinx culture and more. With an author's note and the Velasquez family recipe for Octopus Stew! Now also availabe in Spanish!

Octopus Stew

Angela Johnson

Minnie and her sister hear about a freedom march and leave their home to go to their city's downtown area where they listen to Dr. Martin Luther King and join the march, all the while smelling roses.

A Sweet Smell of Roses

"When a boy's abuela accuses him of being careless with his beloved Bongo, he devises a trap and catches the toy thief red-handed"--

Looking for Bongo

The author describes his boyhood summers spent at his grandmother's apartment in Spanish Harlem where she intoduced him to the sounds and steps of the merengue and the conga and told him stories of Puerto Rico.

Eric Velasquez

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