Holding On

by Sophia N. Lee, Isabel Roxas (Illustrator)

Overview

A young girl in the Philippines uses music to connect with her grandmother as her memory fades in this warm and moving picture book perfect for fans of Pixar’s Coco.

There is always singing in Lola’s house. Sammy Davis Jr. in the morning, Dean Martin in the afternoon, and all throughout the evening, old Tagalog love songs from Nora Aunor, Basil Valdez, and more. Lola always says: “If you want to hold on, you gotta sing your songs.”

Her granddaughter tucks these sounds and Lola’s wisdom deep within her heart. And when Lola starts slipping into silence and stillness, she helps Lola hold on, piece by piece, with the joy and music that Lola taught her.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781534494459
Publisher:	Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	08/30/2022
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	1,010,376
Product dimensions:	9.00(w) x 12.00(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD610L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Sophia N. Lee grew up in the Philippines. She wanted to be many things growing up: doctor, teacher, ballerina, ninja, crime-fighting international spy, wizard, time traveler, journalist, and lawyer. She likes to think she can be all these things and more through writing. She is the author of Soaring Saturdays; What Things Mean, which won a Scholastic Asian Book Award’s grand prize; Holding On; and Lolo’s Sari-sari Store. Learn more about her at SophiaLeeWrites.com.

Isabel Roxas is the author-illustrator of The Adventures of Team Pom: Squid Happens. She was born in the Philippines and raised on luscious mangoes, old wives’ tales, and monsoon moons. She learned so much from her lolas Fe and Venancia: how to shine the floor with a coconut, navigate a palengke (wet market), and make a scrumptious bowl of ginataan. Learn more about Isabel online at StudioRoxas.com or on Instagram @StudioRoxas.

Editorial Reviews

06/27/2022

A Filipina child visits Lola, their grandmother, seasonally in the Philippines, where summers “are filled with so much music. Frank Sinatra and Sammy Davis Jr. in the morning. Ella Fitzgerald and Dean Martin in the afternoon. And in the evening, all the Tagalog love songs I can think of.” In the winters when they are apart, the child narrator considers how Lola “holds on” to memories tied to beloved objects (“the old pictures I drew”) and rituals (cooking “rice with adobo and mashing bananas to make each bite just a little bit sweeter”). And when they’re together, “I listen to her stories and remember with her.” When Lola’s memory begins to fade, the narrator, too, clings to memory by singing the songs Lola passed on: “I’ll hold on to all that she has taught me, and carry it with me in my heart,” writes Lee (Soaring Saturdays) in gentle prose. Mixed-media illustrations by Roxas (Squid Happens), awash in saturated greens and blues with bright orange and yellow splashes, incorporate a motif of musical notes into images of familial intimacy across time, reinforcing the message of embracing unwavering love through music and memory. Ages 4–8. Author’s agent: Wendi Gu, Sanford J. Greenburger Assoc. Illustrator’s agent: Elena Giovinazzo, Pippin Properties. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

12/23/2022

PreS-Gr 2—Making memories with her Lola is so important to a little Filipina girl. When her family visits her grandmother in the Philippines over the summer, they dance to classic performers like Frank Sinatra and Ella Fitzgerald. They listen to Tagalog love songs by Nora Aunor and Basil Valdez, Lola's favorites. She tells her granddaughter as they listen to the records "If you want to hold on, you gotta sing your songs." The pair cook traditional dishes and play the lotto. Lola recounts stories, treasures keepsakes like the girl's baby bottle, and sews old dresses into a quilt. Holding on has become even more important as Lola starts to lose her memory. And so the narrator sings the jazz standards and the Tagalog ballads as a way to assure her grandmother that she will remember on her behalf. The gentle text will tug at heartstrings and resonate with children who are experiencing similar situations. The collage-style, mixed media art is fluid, moving like Lola's favorite music and dance. When the girl shares her fond memories, the illustrations are rendered with tropical colors, pinks, oranges, and greens. During the fall and winter, when she's away from her beloved grandmother, the palette changes to blues and purples. Musical notes are sprinkled throughout and thread the spreads together. The work ends with a silhouette of the two walking into the sunset, swinging and singing on the beach. VERDICT Bittersweet and joyous, this picture book is a positive treatment of a grandparent living with Alzheimer's or dementia. An excellent choice for libraries.—Shelley M. Diaz

School Library Journal

2022-05-25
As a grandmother slowly loses her memory, her grandchild learns to connect through song.

The narrator loves spending summers at Lola’s house. The sounds of Frank Sinatra, Ella Fitzgerald, and Filipino singers Nora Aunor and Basil Valdez fill the house while Lola and the child dance and sing together. “If you want to hold on, you gotta sing your songs,” Lola always says as she embraces the narrator. “Holding on” means remembering—Lola holds on to the child’s long-outgrown items, like a baby bottle or pajamas, and makes something beautiful out of them. Lola also shares her stories of how she met Lolo and how they danced at their wedding. But sometimes, Lola forgets and becomes silent, so her grandchild fills the silence with singing. Gathering friends and family to sing is her grandchild's way to show that it’s OK, because the child will always be there to help her remember. This is a moving story of the bond between a grandmother and a grandchild—a bond that won’t fade even as the grandmother’s memory does. The illustrations are bright and colorful, with multiple layers and textures. Roxas deftly depicts emotions and movement, adding life and feeling to the heartwarming text. Characters are cued as Filipino, and the text and images celebrate Filipino culture and food. (This book was reviewed digitally.)

A touching story of how we can hold on to our memories and loved ones. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews