A Voice Named Aretha
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- $16.99
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
From acclaimed author and illustrator pairing comes a beautiful picture book biography about the Queen of Soul Aretha Franklin and how she fought for respect throughout her life.
Aretha Franklin is the Queen of Soul, a legend. But before she became a star, she was a shy little girl with a voice so powerful it made people jump up, sway, and hum along.
Raised in a house full of talking and singing, Aretha learned the values that would carry her through life--from her church choir in Detroit to stages across the world. When she moved to New York City to start her career, it took years of hard work before she had a hit song. In the turbulent 1960s, she sang about "Respect" and refused to perform before segregated audiences. The first woman inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame, Aretha always remembered who she was and where she came from.
In this stirring biography of a true artistic and social icon, award-winning creators Katheryn Russell-Brown and Laura Freeman show young readers how Aretha's talent, intelligence, and perseverance made her a star who will shine on for generations to come.
Acclaim for Little Melba and Her Big Trombone
2015 NAACP Image Award Nominee Outstanding Literary Work--Children
2015 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award Honor
2015 ALA Notable Children's Book
2015 Amelia Bloomer Project - Feminist Task Force
2015 Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction, Recommended Title
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Shades of purple and gold predominate in this laudatory picture book biography of the Queen of Soul. Tracing Aretha Franklin's life from her 1940s '50s childhood in Detroit, singing as part of her pastor father C.L. Franklin's "Gospel Caravan," to performing for President Barack Obama (pictured, but not named), it covers the major moments in the life and career of this musical legend the death of her mother, her first church solo, the years of work and performance before she had a hit, and her eventual stratospheric success. Franklin's ongoing support of civil rights is a recurring theme: "Aretha sang only where people of all races could attend" and she "performed in lots of concerts to raise money for civil rights groups." Freeman's clear, crisp illustrations add welcome vibrancy to the text's straightforward narrative style. Additional biographical information and extensive notes from the author and illustrator are included. Ages 4 8.
