Author Howard Kaplan, a poet, uses vivid imagery to evoke the boy s magical, secure childhood before his mother s illness.
Music brings friends and joy into the family s apartment in a bustling New York City neighborhood.
The mother s favorite song is Beethoven s Fur Elise, and it is the first song the child s father teaches the boy. After the child begins piano lessons, his mother is always there to make sure he corrects his mistakes. Fur Elise is the song the boy plays to comfort his mother as her illness worsens. After his mother s death, the boy and his father grieve separately and in silence the piano is neglected. The boy returns to his piano lessons with renewed fervor to prepare for a piano recital in the fall.