The Music Inside Us: Yo-Yo Ma and His Gifts to the World

Gr 1-5–Young and old will appreciate this glorious new picture book on the life of cellist Yo-Yo Ma. What a beautiful and inspiring life—growing up in a musical family in Paris, at age four Ma declared his wish to play the cello. A bright, obedient, and sometimes silly boy, he worked diligently alongside his older sister under his father’s tutelage to master musical theory as well as French and Chinese. When he was seven, his family moved to New York, and soon he and his sister were performing on television for the President of the United States. As Ma worked to have his cello express what was in his heart, he thought deeply about the question, “What is the purpose of music?” He also mulled over what it meant to be a cellist, a musician, and a human being. After studying anthropology at Harvard, Ma decided he would “spend his life not only performing for others but learning from others about their musical traditions and finding ways to bring cultures together through the music they make.” Howe’s story will move some readers to tears and make them think about the special gifts each person possesses. Wong’s illustrations have a soft beauty that captures Ma’s open-eyed wonder in the world and his journey from child prodigy to Earth’s musical ambassador.