Grandma's Gift [Hardcover]

Eric Velasquez (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 12, 2010 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

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 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 sketchbook and
colored pencils—to use in his first steps toward becoming an artist. A
heartwarming story of self-discovery, Grandma's Gift
is a celebration of the special bond between a grandparent and
grandchild.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

K-Gr 3–This companion to Grandma's Records (Walker, 2001) is another memoir of Velasquez's boyhood visits with his grandmother in Spanish Harlem. This time it is Christmas. After helping to shop for ingredients and make her famous pasteles, Eric and his grandmother venture from El Barrio to the Metropolitan Museum of Art. The boy has a school assignment to complete and together they discover the work of Diego Velázquez, including the famous portrait of Juan de Pareja. The woman nurtures the boy's fascination with painting by giving him art supplies for Christmas. This beautifully illustrated slice-of-life is sprinkled with Spanish phrases (all translated into English) and rich details about Puerto Rican traditions and culture. Velasquez's full-bleed paintings transport readers to another time and place and expertly capture the characters' personalities and emotions. A gift, indeed.Virginia Walter, UCLA Graduate School of Education and Information Studies
© Copyright 2010. Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From Booklist

In this prequel to Grandma’s Records (2001), Eric spends his winter break with his Puerto Rican grandmother in her apartment in New York City’s El Barrio. Together, they shop, cook traditional dishes such as pasteles, and complete Eric’s homework assignment: to visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art and view Diego Velázquez’s masterpiece Juan de Pareja. The pleasing, realistic oil paintings include a well-done replica of the famous painting. Those who appreciated the personal connections between grandmother and grandson in the earlier book will again be satisfied with this story, which incorporates Spanish phrases in the long, descriptive text. Grades 1-3. --Andrew Medlar --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• Hardcover: 40 pages
• Publisher: Walker Childrens (October 12, 2010)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802720838
• ISBN-13: 978-0802720832
• Product Dimensions: 10.3 x 10.3 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,777,347 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Outstanding Book!, November 21, 2011

By 

JenRob - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Grandma's Gift (Hardcover)

This is an excellent book and I highly recommend it. My husband and I bought this for our four year old daughter after checking it out at the library until we had reached the borrowing limit. Our daughter is an avid reader and as her parents we have a deep appreciation for seeing people who look like us depicted in a positive light. We enjoyed how the Spanish language and Puero Rican culture are peppered throughout the book and the art work is beautiful. We also enjoyed learning about the wonderful relationship the little boy had with his grandmother. This is a wonderful book that we will be reading for years to come.

5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational and Heartwarming, October 13, 2011

By 

nht0701 - See all my reviews

This review is from: Grandma's Gift (Hardcover)

Grandma's Gift is heartwarming autobiographical narrative of a childhood moment when the author became inspired to be a painter. As a Puerto Rican author, Velasquez offers a book with characters that are not often seen as the main characters in traditional children's books. This book is a great addition for the bilingual Spanish classroom and has a personal sentiment all children can relate to. I found it an enjoyable read with many interesting details, such as the true representation of the New York neighborhood the author grew up in, the traditional Puerto Rican dish of pasteles, an introduction to historical figure Juan de Pareja, and a brief yet inspirational author's note.

4.0 out of 5 stars Perfect for creative children, September 13, 2011

By 

Marcela Landres "Latinidad" (Brooklyn, NY United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Grandma's Gift (Hardcover)

A boy discovers on his first trip to a museum that he, too, can be an artist in this tale that is a perfect addition to the libraries of creative children and their parents.