A young boy loves to visit with his Abuelo, who plays accordion in a mariachi band. He also loves to listen to his Opa play accordion in his polka band, yodeling along with the music. But, when Opa and Abuelo meet, there is silence between them. They don’t share a language. Happily, the boy discovers they DO share a language, the universal language of music. Each grandfather shares music from their experience and pretty soon, everyone is singing, playing and dancing together as one big family.
This story is based on the author’s experience growing up with maternal grandparents from Mexico and paternal grandparents from Switzerland. The illustrations by Priscilla Burris are bright colors with strong black lines and they are accessible without being cartoony. This is a delightful story about the power of shared experience bringing people together.
--reviewed by Ruth S.