Written by Christy Mihaly
Illustrated by Mariona Cabassa
Published by Eerdmans Books for Young Readers
Mom's Review
Music and Silence is the moving story of Pau (Pablo Casals in Spanish), a world renowned cello player who used his fame to the advantage of refugees from Franco's dictatorship. Readers learn about the cellist's life from a young age, how he rose to fame, and ways that he used that fame to secure humanitarian aid for people in Spain during the Spanish Civil War and then afterward for refugees who crossed from Catalonia into France. In an age-appropriate way, Mihaly and Cabassa explain how, as a Catalan himself, Pablo felt Franco's genocidal efforts toward Catalonia. Text and illustrations portray war in a way that children will understand what they are able to, while the focus is on how Pablo used his talents to help people and support what he believed in. Music and Silence is inspiring and encouraging. I think that all readers will find it uplifting to read as well as educational about a time in history that they may learn very little about in school.
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