Combines a Newbery Award-winning author's original story based on the characters in the film, Coco, with vibrant stylized artwork by a Pixar insider in a companion to the latest Disney/Pixar animated production that explores how the discovery of a generations-old mystery leads to an unexpected family reunion. 50,000 first printing. Movie tie-in. - (Baker & Taylor)

The spirit of Music details her role in a Mexican town and describes how she discovered Miguel, a budding musician in a family that hates music, and helped him begin to realize his part in the great harmony that surrounds the town. - (Baker & Taylor)

"La Mâusica exists in many places--in the twang of a guitar, in the beat of a drum, even in the whistling wind and the morning bird's son. She brings color and life wherever she goes, connecting people to a grand harmony. And in the town of Santa Cecilia, she is everywhere. When La Mâusica discovers a boy with longing in his heart and no music in his home, she vows to help him find his passion"-- - (Baker & Taylor)

Booklist Reviews

La Musica narrates this touching, beautifully illustrated story about a boy with a seemingly impossible dream. As she travels through the town of Santa Cecilia, the music is everywhere—at a wedding, a quinceañera, and beside a family in a cemetery. When the music comes across young Miguel, she instantly recognizes the longing in his heart, which he only shows when he is alone, and she knows that she must find a way to bring music into his life. Vivid and striking illustrations in vibrant colors cover every part of this story, showing the bustling town and the excitement in Miguel's heart, as well as the sadness. The calm, poetic writing nicely contrasts with the bright, lively pages to evoke the simple yet mysterious magic of the lure of music, which affects a wide range of cartoonish characters, from Miguel to his dog Dante to Mamá Coco, who is saddened by music. Readers will cheer when the story comes around full circle and there is hope in Miguel's heart for a future full of song. Copyright 2017 Booklist Reviews.

Horn Book Guide Reviews

This story, inspired by the Disney/Pixar film [cf2]Coco[cf1], is narrated by music itself in the form of a fairy-like figure. The narrator encourages little boy Miguel, whose practical-minded [cf2]abuelita[cf1] discourages music-making, to teach himself to play a discarded guitar. Steeped in Latino culture, this picture book affirms the importance of family, ethnic traditions, and immersive musical experiences. Lively, colorful, culturally rich illustrations give young readers plenty to discover. Copyright 2018 Horn Book Guide Reviews.

Horn Book Magazine Reviews

If you've ever wondered what music might look like when it comes to life, look no further than this picture book inspired by the 2017 Disney/Pixar film Coco. The story, narrated by music itself in the form of a fairy-like figure, shows the profound impact of "La Música" on everything it touches, including weddings, funerals, quincineras, and more. A little boy, Miguel, who works in a shoemaking shop, does his best to find music anywhere he can. But his practical-minded abuelita scolds him: "stay away from the mariachis…do you want to upset Mamá Coco?" (Mamá Coco's role in the story remains unclear to anyone who hasn't seen the movie.) Still, Miguel pores over music videos on the VCR in his family's attic. The narrator, noting Miguel's passion, intervenes by leading him (via a stray dog named Dante) to a broken guitar discarded by a musician. After repairing the instrument, Miguel teaches himself to play, note by note. Miguel, says the narrator, "has become part of a grand harmony." Steeped in Latino culture, this picture book affirms the importance of family, ethnic traditions, and immersive musical experiences. Ramírez's lively, colorful, culturally rich illustrations will give young readers plenty to discover, while their retro appearance may remind adults of Little Golden Books and Disney cartoons from their own childhoods. michelle h. martin Copyright 2017 Horn Book Magazine Reviews.

Kirkus Reviews

Miguel loves music and wants to be a musician more than anything, but his family prohibits him from pursuing his greatest love.La Música, who narrates in the first person, appears at the strum of a guitar, in wedding bells, in a static-y radio, in the strains of a single violin, whirling through town, joining musicians through the plaza, rising and rising, until Miguel's abuelita storms out of a shop and demands the musicians stop. "You'll upset Mamá Coco!" They fumble and stumble away. La Música notices a young boy staring at the guitars in the hands of the musicians, longing for music just as she disappears. Each time she appears again, she looks for the boy and finds him, secretly watching musicians on a hidden TV in his play area, "playing" his broom, but just as she's about to whisper her name in his ear, his family pulls him away. La Música arranges a careful series of events to help Miguel indulge in music, and the surprise ending lingers in the air like an overheard harmony. Readers don't learn exactly why Miguel's family has forbidden music, and though this would be puzzling in a stand-alone book, this book is a side story about the characters in Disney Pixar's Coco. The tenderness and emotional intelligence of this story serves as a great incentive to learn more about Miguel. De la Peña wonderfully expresses the impact of music on the soul, and Ramírez's bright, expressive watercolor illustrations underscore the poetic prose style perfectly. ¡Que viva La Música! (Picture book. 5-8) Copyright Kirkus 2017 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.

School Library Journal Reviews

K-Gr 2— La Música narrates this warm, lyrical tale of artistic exploration. The golden, fairylike character is born out of sound, "a single string plucked/or a note blown/or a beat rapped." Music is present in all of life's events, highs and lows, and takes part in the "Grand Harmony." For some unexplained reason, Miguel, a boy the narrator is drawn to, is forbidden to play music. He secretly practices on a makeshift guitar while his family joyfully make shoes. Noticing the colorless void that plagues Miguel when there is no music, La Música engineers a genius plan involving mariachis, a mischievous dog, and a broken guitar to make the boy's dream to play the music in his heart come true. The character Mamá Coco is referenced throughout (the mariachis are shushed by Miguel's grandmother so they don't upset Mamá Coco), and this book ties into the plot of Pixar's Coco , but knowledge of the film isn't necessary to understand the work's celebration of music, creativity, and family. Ramírez's lively and vivid art captures the frenetic flow and the languid and exultant surge that music inspires. A candy-colored palette of oranges, purples, blues, greens, and reds depict varied settings, from a Mexican village square to quiet spaces of contemplation. Readers will want to drink up every page and phrase. VERDICT A must-purchase for picture book collections.— Shelley Diaz, School Library Journal