About this item
This prequel to Eric Velasquez's biographical picture book Grandma's Records is the story of a Christmas holiday that young Eric spends with his grandmother. After they prepare their traditional Puerto Rican celebration, Eric and Grandma visit the Metropolitan Museum of Art for a school project, where he sees a painting by Diego Velasquez and realizes for the first time that he could be an artist when he grows up. Grandma witnesses his fascination, and presents Eric with the perfect Christmas gift—a sketchbook and colored pencils—to use in his first steps toward becoming an artist. A heartwarming story of self-discovery, Grandma's Gift is a celebration of the special bond between a grandparent and grandchild.
About the Author
Eric Velasquez was born in Spanish Harlem and he grew up in Harlem. He earned his BFA from the School of Visual Arts. Eric has been illustrating for over 30 years.He has illustrated over 30 children's books, his first picture book "The Piano Man" by Debbie Chocolate, published by Bloomsbury won the Coretta-Scott King/John Steptoe Award for New Talent. In 2010 Eric was awarded an NAACP Image award for his work in "Our Children Can Soar" which he collaborated on with 12 notable illustrators of children's literature. Eric also wrote and illustrated "Grandma's Records" and its follow up "Grandma's Gift" which won the 2011 Pura Belpre' Award for illustration and was also nominated for a 2011 NAACP Image Award. Eric also wrote and illustrated "Looking for Bongo" which has gathered rave reviews and his latest book "Octopus Stew" is sure to be a classic.Eric also illustrated "Schomburg: The Man Who Built a Library" by Carole Boston Weatherford which has gathered rave reviews, and has also won the 2018 Walter Award from the WNDB organization as well as the SCBWI's The Golden Kite Award and The international Latino Award Honor.Eric Velasquez lives and works in New York. He teaches book illustration at FIT (The Fashion Institute of Technology) in NYC. For more information please visit his web site EricVelasquez.com
