"First comes the sound. A single string plucked or a note blown or a beat rapped. And suddenly I am. Where there is music, there is color. And where there is color, there is life." That's an excerpt from Miguel and the Grand Harmony, a book inspired by the world of Disney·Pixar's Coco. For today's post I'll be sharing my thoughts on the book and giving you a look inside!
To start things off, this not a retelling of the plot/story of Coco, rather it seems to take place before the events of the film (almost like a prequel—for example it shows Miguel finding and fixing up what ends up being his guitar). Honestly this is very abstractly written, poetic even, and at first I was a little confused about who the narrator was. It then dawned on me that this is entirely written from the perspective of Music (or La Música, "The Music"), as if Music is a character or some kind of sentient being. It's actually a very interesting and beautiful concept!
The story is essentially Music (who is represented visually as a minimal pixie/fairy type shape) roaming the city and spreading the joy of her sounds through people playing their instruments and those gathered around. She then discovers Miguel, who's life has been void of any music, and helps to lead him to his passion. And what a gorgeous message it is. The power of music is real. It can bring so much life, light and color into our lives and one should never be without it.
Miguel and the Grand Harmony is written by award-winning author Matt de la Peña and is illustrated by Pixar visual development artist Ana Ramírez (who also worked on the actual film Coco).
What originally drew me to this book were the illustrations. From just seeing the front cover when this book was first revealed, they seemed so stylized, bold and completely unique (very expressive; like a mix of Henri Matisse-esque art and the classic Disney ride It's a Small World). And it's true. As shown in my inside look below, you'll see each page is as beautiful, vibrant and cleverly designed as the next. The art and the story fit with each other so well—a perfect pairing.
And like usual, here's your exclusive peek inside! This should give you more than an idea of what to expect. The book is 46 pages long.
After a few readings, I really fell in love with this book. It's magical. I'm not sure how much young readers will actually understand though, but I guess I shouldn't underestimate them. This is definitely not for all kids, but for the ones who do enjoy this style, I would recommend this for ages 5 or 6 and up. It could make for a wonderful and imaginative bedtime story experience. It has my high recommendation!
This was released on October 10th last year, but you can most likely still find it at your local Barnes & Noble or wherever Coco books are sold. Retail is $17.99, though you can usually find it on sale. I'll include an Amazon link below as well if you'd rather just pick it up online.
Be sure to let me know YOUR thoughts in the comments! I'd love to hear your take on this.
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