A Voice Named Aretha

Bloomsbury Children's Books
(pub. 1.7.2020) 
40 pages

A True Tale with

A Cherry On Top   

A uthor: 
Katheryn Russell-Brown
       and illustrator:  Laura Freeman

 
C haracter: Aretha Franklin

O verview: 

      

"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."

T antalizing taste: 

     "Aretha and her brothers and sisters loved singing in church, clapping along with the organ, drums, and tambourines. Each  young Franklin wanted to shine bright for Daddy.
     Little Aretha had the biggest voice of all. She sang soulful trills and powerful riffs with a deep, easy feeling, well beyond her years. No doubt about it, Aretha was the star child."

And something more: The "More about the Queen of Soul" at the back of the book explains that "In 2019, Aretha was posthumously awarded a Pulitzer Prize, special citation, 'for her indelible contribution to American music and culture for more than five decades.'" 
     In "A Note from the Author", Katheryn Russell-Brown writes: "I grew up in the late sixties in a home with lots of albums. A few hundred R&B and jazz LPs lined the walls of our Harlem living room. The ones in heavy rotation were spread about on the shag carpet." 
    I was touched by her dedication: "To my mother, Tanya H. Russell (1938-2014), who said many times, with a twinkle in her eye, that she would know she had 'died and gone to heaven' if she could sing backup for Aretha. I have vivid, warm memories of us singing Aretha's songs together - at the top of our lungs. - K. R-B."

Gloria Takes a Stand

How Gloria Steinem
Listened, Wrote,
and Changed the World

Bloomsbury Children's Books
(pub. 3.12.2019) 
48 pages

A True Tale with
A Cherry On Top   

A uthor:  Jessica M. Rinker

 and illustrator: Daria Peoples-Riley
 
C haracter: Gloria Steinem

O verview: 
     "As a young girl, Gloria Steinem thought for herself and spoke her mind. She read many books by her favorite authors and imagined herself as the heroine of the story.
           Gloria wished.
              She read.
           And imagined.
But Gloria grew up during a time when women were not encouraged, or even allowed, to do a lot of the things men could do: go to college, get a job, open a bank account, and more. There were restrictions that made it impossible for women to be independent or equal to men. So, Gloria set out to change that...
     From an unconventional childhood, to Smith College, to Ms. magazine, to the women's liberation movement to feminist icon, Gloria Takes a Stand brings to the page a spirited look at Gloria Steinem's influential life...

T antalizing taste: 
     "After she came back to the United States [after traveling in India after college] and began looking for a job, Gloria heard, Some jobs are for women, but most are for men. She heard, You should be a secretary or a teacher.
     But Gloria wanted to decide for herself what job she would take. She became a journalist and wrote articles for magazines and newspapers. Everywhere she traveled for her job, people talked to her about their lives. Gloria listened to their hopes and dreams and asked them what they wished were different. She learned so much by talking to the people she met every day. She said, 'Writing is the only thing that, when I do it, I don't feel I should be doing anything else."

And something more: Jessica M. Rinker's Author's Note explains "What amazes me the most about Gloria is that she saw and heard the expectations many people had about women but she had her own ideas about how to live her life. This independent thinking on her part, as well as other women of the time, is what began a revolution.
     The choices she made contributed to the creation of the women's movement, which helped all women gain the ability to make their own choices as well...
     There are so many stories of women who have been part of this great movement. Gloria became the voice of all the women she met, the writer of many important stories. Gloria's story is only one.
     But it's a good one."

Grandpa Cacao

A Tale of Chocolate,
From Farm to Family

Bloomsbury Children's Books
(pub. 5.21.2019) 
40 pages

A True Tale with
A Cherry On Top   

A uthor and illustrator:  

               Elizabeth Zunon
 
C haracter: Grandpa Cacao

O verview: 
     "As a little girl and her father bake her birthday cake together, Daddy tells the story of her Grandpa Cacao, a farmer from the Ivory Coast in West Africa. In a land where elephants roam and the air is hot and damp, Grandpa Cacao worked in his village to harvest cacao, the most important ingredient in chocolate.
     'Chocolate is a gift to you from Grandpa Cacao,' Daddy says. 'We can only enjoy chocolate treats thanks to farmers like him.'
     Once the cake is baked, it's ready to eat, but this isn't her only birthday present. There's a special surprise waiting at the front door ...    
     This beautifully illustrated family story connects past and present, history and tradition, and joins us all in mutual love for chocolate."
   

T antalizing taste: 
     "Chocolate is my most favorite thing ever. For my birthday, Daddy and I are making our family's special celebration cake ...
     'Tell me again about Grandpa Cacao,' I ask. 'Are you like him? Am I?'
     'We're from a land called the Ivory Coast,' Daddy says, 'where I grew up watching big, graceful elephants roam. It's where the air breathes hot and damp, thick with stories and music and the languages of people from tiny villages and big cities. Grandpa Cacao's farm was the pride of his life.'
     'The air, the rain, and the soil must be just right for growing cacao.' Daddy holds a sieve over the mixing bowl, and I pour in the flour. 'Grandpa Cacao carried heavy loads through the bush, back and forth to his fields on his wide, calloused feet.'
     'That must be where I get my wide-boat feet!' I say as I add the baking powder."

And something more: Elizabeth Zunon, the amazing illustrator of our book, MY HANDS SINGS THE BLUES - Romare Bearden's Childhood Journey, kindly shared with me some thoughts about this wonderful family story that Liz illustrated and wrote:

     "I've been in love with chocolate all my life, and obsessed with how to make a book about where chocolate comes from ever since I heard my father describe following his father to their cacao farm in the Ivory Coast. I'd like to think that chocolate grows on trees, but there are so many steps between when the farmer plucks the fruit from the tree and when we unwrap a store-bought chocolate bar. Chocolate is so easily accessible to us, but it takes such a long journey to arrive in our hands!"

     Liz generously sent me a signed copy of her wonderful book, and it was wrapped just like a chocolate bar in elegant gold paper with a beautiful printed cacao plant, and clever and touching "chocolate bar" facts: 

"Nutrition facts: 
Serving Size: 40 pages
Servings: 1
Age Range: 3-6 years (but really up to age 135 or more)
Publisher: Bloomsbury Children's Books
Shipping Weight: 1.7 pounds

Ingredients: 

DADDY'S MEMORIES, GRANDPA'S DEDICATION, AN ART SCHOOL SPARK OF INSPIRATION, 13 YEARS OF MARINATING, LOTS OF EDITS, MORNING PAINTING, AFTERNOON COLLAGE, LATE-NIGHT SILK-SCREENING, LOVE, A SPRINKLE OF LUCK , A DASH OF TRUST, A YEARNING TO CONTRIBUTE TO THE FAMILY LEGACY, A DESIRE TO KNOW SOMEONE I NEVER MET & THE HOPE THAT WE CAN ALL GO HOME AGAIN.

                                                Just unwrap, open and enjoy! "

Stand Up and Sing!

Pete Seeger,
Folk Music,
and the 
Path to Justice

Bloomsbury Children's Books 
* SOON TO BE RELEASED*
(pub. 3.14.2017)
48 pages

A True Tale with
A Cherry On Top  

A uthor: Susanna Reich
      and Illustrator: 
           Adam Gustavson

C haracter: Pete Seeger

O verview from the jacket flap: 

    "Pete Seeger was born with music in his bones. Coming of age during the Great Depression, Pete saw poverty and adversity that would forever shape his worldview, but it wasn't until he received his first banjo that he found his way to change the world. It was plucking banjo strings and singing folk songs that showed Pete how music had the incredible power to bring people together.
      Using this gift throughout his life, Pete encouraged others to rally behind causes that mattered - fighting for Civil Rights, ending the Vietnam War, or cleaning up the Hudson River. For Pete, no challenge was too great, and what started out as a love for music turned into a lifetime of activism.
     Inspired by the rhythms of American folk music, this moving account of Pete Seeger's life celebrates his legacy, showing kids of every generation that no cause is too small and no obstacle too large if, together, you stand up and sing!"    
T antalizing taste: 
     
    "Pete was thrilled when Woody [Guthrie] let him 'tag along' on a trip to Texas, playing at union meetings along the way.
     In Oklahoma City the crowd included oil workers and their wives and children - as well as some men lined up in the back of the room, fixing for a fight. Fearing violence, the organizer called on Pete and Woody to play. Soon the families were singing, and the men in the back slunk off.
     That night Pete saw that music could fill a room with peace and harmony - even if he still couldn't figure out how to sing and play banjo at the same time!"

and something more: The Author's Note notes that Susanna Reich, like Pete Seeger, "grew up in a family with a tradition of political activism." Susanna explains that Pete's "ancestors included Revolutionary War patriots and nineteenth century abolitionists, and his father and stepmother had a profound influence on his thinking about music, culture, and politics.  As I researched this book, I came to understand why Pete saw himself as a link in a chain. It's a chain in which music and social responsibility are intertwined, one that began long before he was born and will continue now that he's gone. This book is meant to be a link in that chain."  And this compelling and inspiring story is indeed that.
       As the text of the story states, "Pete passed away in 2014, but his work isn't done. For in times of war, the world needs peace. In times of hatred, the world needs love. In times of injustice, the world needs truth. And wherever people gather in the name of freedom, they find strength and courage in song."  And in political times such as now, children (and adult readers of children's books) need role models, such as Pete Seeger, who stand up for their beliefs. Thank you to Susanna Reich for writing this wonderful book, and giving me the honor of sharing it.

The First Step

How One Girl Put Segregation
on Trial

Bloomsbury Children's Books

(published 1.5.2016) 32 pages 

A True Tale
with A Cherry On Top 

A uthor: Susan E. Goodman
      and Illustrator:  E. B Lewis

C haracter: Sarah Roberts

O verview from the jacket flap: 

    "In 1847, a young African American girl named Sarah Roberts was attending a school in Boston. Then one day she was told she could never come back. She didn't belong. The Otis School was for white children only.
     Sarah deserved an equal education, and the Roberts family fought for change. They made history.
     Roberts v. City of Boston was the first case challenging our legal system to outlaw segregated schools. It was the first time an African American lawyer argued in a supreme court.
     These first steps set in motion changes that ultimately led to equality under the law in the United States. Sarah's cause was won when people - black and white - stood together and said, No more. Now, right now, it is time for change! ... 
     Every big change starts with a first step.
    
T antalizing taste: 
     
    "On December 4, 1849, a heavy snow blanketed the city. Even a ferocious blizzard wouldn't have stopped people from flooding into the courthouse. So many of them were African American - dockworkers and washerwomen, barbers and blacksmiths - giving up a day's pay to be there. Some were lucky enough to get a seat. Others were willing to stand, for hours if need be.
     Sarah's story was their story too."

and something more: I was impressed by the detailed background research and careful thinking Susan E. Goodman shared in the Author's Note. As she explained, "Nonfiction authors feel a special responsibility when writing about other people... telling the truth means finding the facts and  the emotional truths. Sarah's story was hard because we know a lot about her trial but very little about her as a person...
     What is this story about? And why did I want to write it? Was it to show injustice of a child walking past five schools she couldn't enter...Or to show that fighting for a cause can be a victory even if you lose? Or that the push to integrate schools started long before the 1950s? For me, it includes all these ideas, and especially... If you feel something is wrong, speak up. And keep trying. Change happens when people of all kinds find a way to come together."