A joyful, lyrical picture book celebration of creativity, art, nature, and the family bonds that inspire and sustain us through good times and bad—from the viewpoint of a young girl and the love she shares with her grandfather.
Meadow loves making musical instruments out of clay—the very body of the Earth—just as her grandpa does. Together this family pair makes flutes, whistles, ocarinas, horns, and round pot drums that sing with the voices of nature. Wild animals respond to the joyful sounds by echoing back their own calls. Meadow and Grandpa sing up the earth, and the earth sings back to them.
One night, a fierce storm destroys their workshop, and Grandpa’s beloved ocarina, an ancient instrument shaped like a hawk, is nowhere to be found. Grief and loss fill the air with ash and smoke. What follows is a gentle, heartwarming journey where Meadow uncovers hope and the secret behind Grandpa’s breathtaking music that “sings up the earth.”