As a little girl, Teresa Carreño loved to let her hands dance across the beautiful keys of the piano. If she felt sad, music cheered her up, and when she was happy, the piano helped her share that joy. Soon she was writing her own songs and performing in grand cathedrals. Then a revolution in Venezuela forced her family to flee to the United States. Teresa felt lonely in this unfamiliar place, where few of the people she met spoke Spanish. Worst of all, there was fighting in her new home, too — the Civil War.
Still, Teresa kept playing, and soon she grew famous as the talented Piano Girl who could play anything from a folk song to a sonata. So famous, in fact, that President Abraham Lincoln wanted her to play at the White House! Yet with the country torn apart by war, could Teresa's music bring comfort to those who needed it most? In soaring words and stunning illustrations, Margarita Engle and Rafael López tell the inspiring story of Teresa Carreño, the child prodigy who brought music and solace to Abraham Lincoln.
"Half biographical sketch, half wide-eyed tribute, Engle and López’s collaboration endearingly builds to Teresa’s fateful meeting with Lincoln like a gravitational pull, with bursts of compassion and admiration for both artist and public servant. Engle’s free verse whirls and twirls, playful and vivacious, while López’s vivid, colorful artwork elevates this story to heavenly heights. Like a concerto for the heart." — Kirkus Reviews
Recommended Age | 6 - 9 |
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Author | Margarita Engle |
Illustrator | Rafael López |
ISBN | 148148740X |
Publication Date | Aug 27, 2019 |
Publisher | Atheneum Books for Young Readers |
Award Winners | Pura Belpré Award |
Language | English |