A tender portrait of the long-distance love between a granddaughter and grandfather, kindled by the music of the pipa. On a cold winter night, a young girl dreams of visiting her faraway grandfather in Kunming, a magical place in China known as the city of eternal spring. As gusts of snow blow outside her window, the gentle sound of her mother plucking the pipa in the family room wraps around her like a warm blanket. The intricately illustrated story is accompanied by 11 stirring instrumental performances by world-renowned pipa master Liu Fang (included on a CD and via a unique digital download code). With roots that reach back to the Qin Dynasty, the pipa’s repertoire draws from a wellspring of ancient poetry and folklore, summoning themes of natural splendor that resonate across generations. Notes on the origin of the pipa and each composition appear at the end of the book. A free teaching guide and activity sheets are available at www.thesecretmountain.com.