Anita's mama loves to sing. She sings such beautiful, happy songs that something magical happens: Everyone who hears her music floats high above the ground. But then Mama stops singing. Can Anita find a way to bring back happy times and magical moments for her family? Debut author Laura Lacámara's lyrical, uplifting tale is paired with Yuyi Morales's stunning art for a magical celebration of family, music, and happiness. A la mamá de Anita le encanta cantar. Sus canciones son tan bonitas y felices que crean algo mágico: todo el que escucha su música se eleva y flota en el aire. Pero la mamá de Anita deja de cantar. ¿Logrará Anita recobrar los tiempos felices y los momentos mágicos para ella y su familia? La lírica e inspiradora historia de Laura Lacámara y el arte espectacular de Yuyi Morales retratan una celebración mágica de la familia, la música y la felicidad. Kindergarten-Grade 3 ;Anita comes home from school on her seventh birthday to find her mother singing opera and floating in the air. Outside, her dog, Tito, is also floating. "'It's been happening all day, every time I sing!'" says Mama. Then Anita realizes that everyone who hears the music floats, too. But, when some nosy neighbors complain that their pig, goat, and cow are floating, Grandma orders her daughter to stop singing. Mama grows sad, the cow won't give milk, the pig won't eat, and the goat won't sleep. Everyone is miserable. An old picture with a cow stuck in a mango tree helps Anita, Grandma, and Mama discover the special gift that all the women in the family have. Lacámara's debut weaves together a stirring Caribbean tale inspired by her Cuban roots and her mother's opera singing. Both the English and Spanish versions of the story are fun and easy to read, and also well translated. The fusion of Morales's collage illustrations, with bright energetic colors, large warm brown characters, and real photographs interspersed with digitally enhanced foliage, will help children's imaginations take flight. A grand addition to most bilingual collection. ; Angélica Sauceda, Anaheim Public Library, Anaheim, CA (c) Copyright 2010.  Library Journals LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Media Source, Inc. No redistribution permitted. Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. The plump forms in Morales’ illustrations paradoxically float as lightly as the titular song in this bilingual English-Spanish picture book. Glowing colors, further brightened by golden-pastel highlights, work along with gently curved hills, tree branches, and postures to carry the story forward, complementing its magic realism. On Anita’s seventh birthday, she comes home to find her mother literally floating on air as she sings. “It’s been happening all day, Anita, every time I sing. Singing makes me so happy,” Mama explains. The happy music also lifts the spirits, and bodies, of those who hear Mama—which leads, alas, to trouble when local animals fly from their owners. Scolded by Anita’s abuelita, Mama stops singing, but the resulting sadness is too much for the little girl to bear. Seeking a cure, she discovers the family secret. The story flows smoothly, with the English prose hovering over the Spanish and easing along this pleasant folklorish collaboration from debut author Lacamara and the Pura Belpré Award–winning Morales. Grades K-3. --Karen Cruze Anita's mama loves to sing. She sings such beautiful, happy songs that something magical happens: Everyone who hears her music floats high above the ground. But then Mama stops singing. Can Anita find a way to bring back happy times and magical moments for her family? Debut author Laura Lacámara's lyrical, uplifting tale is paired with Yuyi Morales's stunning art for a magical celebration of family, music, and happiness. A la mamá de Anita le encanta cantar. Sus canciones son tan bonitas y felices que crean algo mágico: todo el que escucha su música se eleva y flota en el aire. Pero la mamá de Anita deja de cantar. ¿Logrará Anita recobrar los tiempos felices y los momentos mágicos para ella y su familia? La lírica e inspiradora historia de Laura Lacámara y el arte espectacular de Yuyi Morales retratan una celebración mágica de la familia, la música y la felicidad. Laura Lacámara is a Cuban American author and illustrator. Her mother, an opera singer in Cuba, was the inspiration for Floating on Mama's Song , her first picture book. Laura lives in Venice, California, with her husband, Hal, and their daughter, Annalisa. Laura Lacámara es una autora e ilustradora cubano-americana. Su madre, una cantante de ópera en Cuba, fue quien inspiró Flotando en la canción de mamá , su primer libro para niños. Laura vive en Venice, California, con su esposo Hal y su hija Annalisa. Yuyi Morales's Mexican childhood is the inspiration for her award-winning artwork. Her illustrations for Just in Case were awarded the Pura Belpré Medal. Yuyi lives in San Francisco, California. Su identidad me