 I'm Shifia and me and I am the author of Holding On. And I'm Isabelle Rojas, the illustrator of Holding On. Lush, greenery, the sweet, delicious smell of ripe mangoes. My mother always likes to say that happiness is a ripe mango. Just having a lot of music around, I remember listening to my Lolo play the ukulele in the morning. And I would dance the hula around him. I guess for me, one of the best ways to remember is by making art, by making pictures. And this book is an example of that. I hope that our readers would also be inspired to remember their summer memories, try a different way of remembering like by making art or drawing things that they love. For me, this is a book about remembering what's come before you and learning to carry that in your heart. And also learning that even after things pass, there are still ways of keeping them alive and celebrating them through music, through art, and through holding on to however you choose.