Coco: A Story About Music, Shoes, and Family

Coco:  A Story About Music, Shoes, and Family by Disney-Pixar        Audio Book:  5 hours, 36 minutes     Hardback Book: 256 pages       

Miquel dreams of being a musician like his hero, Ernesto  de la Cruz, but, because his great-grandfather left his great-grandmother to go play guitar for the world, his mother won’t let him.   The family lives together in the same house and no one since Grandmother Coco has been able to sing or dance or play music because it leads to heartbreak and reminds them of great-grandfather’s leaving.   The family trade is making shoes and that is what Miguel is expected to do, too.   Miguel feels like he will die if he cannot play music and has secretly collected bits and pieces of musical instruments from the square where he shines shoes (until he is old enough to learn how to make shoes)  by taping these odd bits and pieces together he has fashioned a version of a guitar for himself.    He collects photos, video tapes  albums, any memorabilia he can find depicting Ernesto de la Cruz.     Happily dreaming among his treasures of one day playing guitar for the world.   Sadly his mother comes across him playing music on his make-shift guitar one day and breaks it!   He feels as though she has pulled his heart from his chest and screams at her he does not want to be a part of the family any more!   Be careful what you wish for…when the Mexican celebration Dias de los Muertos  (Day of the Dead) comes, like Alice down the rabbit hole – Miguel is about to find out what can happen when wishes come true.     A good story, I enjoyed it, very well told.    I’m glad I know the story – now – I want to see the film.    Very good story.    This would be good for a class studying different cultures and countries.    Enjoyable story for young and old.