The Music Inside Us: Yo-Yo Ma & His Gifts to the World
A 2025 Kirkus Best Book of the Year
From a bestselling and award-winning team comes a moving, gorgeously illustrated picture-book biography of one of the greatest cellists of all time, Yo-Yo Ma, and his lifelong passion for using music to unite people in harmony and joy
“I’ve been asking myself all my life, ‘What is the purpose of music?’” –Yo-Yo Ma
At a young age, Yo-Yo Ma discovered a remarkable gift for the cello, playing Bach from memory by age four. His technique was far beyond his years, but even as he grew and became a world-class musician—studying at Juilliard, performing at Carnegie Hall at a young age, even playing on television before the president of the United States—he wanted to use his gift for something deeper, something bigger…
From James Howe, bestselling author of Bunnicula, and Jack Wong, award-winning author/illustrator of When You Can Swim, comes the story of legendary cellist Yo-Yo Ma, who was special not only because of his unmatched talent but also his curious mind and compassionate heart. Powerfully told and stunningly illustrated, this biography will inspire readers to discover the gifts inside us all.
Released: June 3, 2025 from Abrams Books for Young Readers
Also available in:
Audiobook (Released August 5, 2025)
Spanish & Catalan (coming 2026 from Bellaterra Musica)
Praise for The Music Inside Us (4 starred reviews!)
★ “[Wong’s] painterly, thoughtfully composed illustrations provide a remarkable depth of emotion and dynamism. Howe’s lyrical prose is a finely tuned pleasure to read, from overture to encore. A harmonious tribute to one of music’s absolute greats.” —Starred review from Kirkus
★ “Howe highlights the celebrated cellist’s introspective nature, conveying questions that Yo-Yo Ma has asked throughout his life… and invites readers to ask and answer questions of their own. […] In diaphanous multimedia spreads with velvety textures, Wong portrays Ma as a young boy struggling to get his cello case up the stairs of his family’s Paris apartment, playing on television for the president of the United States, and then, in adolescence, slumped on his bed reading a comic book.” —Starred review from Publishers Weekly
★ “Wong’s illustrations, created with acrylics, crayons, and watercolors and digitally edited, are beautiful and engaging…. Howe’s plain-spoken but high-minded reflections on Ma’s accomplishments will resonate with kids who admire the cellist, as well as the many readers who, though perhaps unfamiliar with Ma himself, are drawn to his ideal of uniting people around the world through their music..” —Starred review from Booklist
★ “Young and old will appreciate this glorious new picture book… 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…” —Starred review from School Library Journal
”Wong’s artwork, acrylic, crayon, watercolor with digital edits, are museum-worthy evocations of the places and ages of Ma’s life.” —Review from Youth Services Book Review
“Wong’s illustrations capture Ma’s yearning with humor and empathy…. A tender depiction” —Review from The Horn Book Magazine
