In this gentle and poignant picture book about the power of music and the beauty of sad songs, a young boy copes with his cousin moving away with the help of his grandfather and the erhu--a Chinese instrument known for its mournful sound. One lonely evening, YeYe tries to cheer up Danny with music from his erhu. Danny's interest is piqued--he's never heard an erhu before. But the erhu cries one distressing note after another Danny can't stand it Why would anybody want to hear such a sad-sounding instrument? "Maybe in a better time," his YeYe says, and puts the erhu away.
Danny forgets the erhu until he's sad about his cousin moving far away and YeYe plays the instrument once more. This time, the sorrowful song touches Danny's heart. Can the music carry him through the sad times to something brighter?
