ARTY’S AMAZING ACCORDION / EL ACORDEÓN ASOMBROSO DE ARTY

A young boy shows his love for music as he plays his accordion in Pérez’s bilingual illustrated book for children, based on a true story.

Arty is a boy who’s in love with art. He enjoys going to the library, where he looks through encyclopedias to study musical instruments; he especially likes accordions, even if they’re too expensive for his family to purchase one. Still, he finds it difficult to let go of the dream of playing it: “He imagined playing with an orchestra or with a norteño band, wearing a fringed jacket.” He comes from a music-loving family, so his farmworker parents understand his yearning. At the music store, the owner is so moved by the boy’s love of the accordion that he decides to give him a loaner as the youngster saves up money from doing odd jobs. After a year, he’s much better at playing the accordion that he was when he first received it; he’s even won the city’s talent show. Finally, he can have his very own accordion. During grape-picking season, he has another opportunity to spread hope by playing music to immigrant workers, and he makes his parents and community happy and proud. As an adult, he continues to use music to help his community. Arty, who’s based on a real-life boy from California, is a likable and charismatic protagonist in these pages; his determination is inspiring and his passion relatable. Sosa’s brightly colored cartoon art style is entertaining and the strongest point of the book. The text in English and Spanish is a bit long and may be difficult for a very young reader to follow without an adult guiding them. The book’s bilingual aspect is handled well and will interest both bilingual children and others hoping to learn words in a new language.

A sweet and inspiring tale of pursuing a dream.