Every year, Eric spends his winter break with his grandmother in El Barrio while his parents are at work. There's much to do to prepare for Christmas, including buying all the ingredients for Grandma's famous pasteles, a special Puerto Rican holiday dish.

But Eric also has an assignment for school that requires a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to see a new painting. Grandma and Eric are nervous about leaving El Barrio but are amazed by the museum and what they see in the painting—a familiar face in a work of art by the great painter Diago Valazquez. That day Eric's world opens wider, and Grandma knows the perfect gift to start him on his new journey.

In this prequel to Grandma's Records, Eric Valasquez brings readers back to a special day spent with his grandmother that would change his life forever.

From the dust jacket