Introduces young readers to the civil rights activist known as the Queen of Soul whose song “Respect” continues to give hope in a world still fighting for freedom. 35,000 first printing. Illustrations. - (Baker & Taylor)

"An empowering picture book biography of Aretha Franklin and her role in civil rights, perfect for Women's History Month and Black History Month"-- - (Baker & Taylor)

A young Aretha Franklin captivates her community with the song “Respect” during the height of the Civil Rights Movement, in this striking picture book biography that will embolden today’s young readers to sing their own truth.

When Aretha Franklin sang, she didn’t just sing…she sparked a movement. As a performer and a civil rights activist, the Queen of Soul used her voice to uplift freedom fighters and the Black community during the height of the 1960s Civil Rights Movement. Her song “Respect” was an anthem of identity, survival, and joy. It gave hope to people trying to make change. And when Aretha sang, the world sang along.

With Hanif Abdurraqib’s poetic voice and Ashley Evans’s dynamic illustrations, Sing, Aretha, Sing! demonstrates how one brave voice can give new power to a nation, and how the legacy of Aretha Franklin lives on in a world still fighting for freedom.

Hanif Abdurraqib is a poet, essayist, and cultural critic. His work has been published in The New York Times, The New Yorker, Pitchfork, PEN American, Muzzle, and Vinyl. He is the author of multiple books, including They Can’t Kill Us Until They Kill Us, which was named a book of the year by Buzzfeed, Esquire, and NPR, among others; and Go Ahead In The Rain: Notes To A Tribe Called Quest, a New York Times Bestseller and Kirkus Prize nominee. He lives in Columbus, Ohio.

Ashley Evans is an artist, and the illustrator of the popular picture book Welcome to the Party by Gabrielle Union. When she’s not creating art, you can find her decorating cakes, enjoying time with her family or catching a much-needed nap. Born and raised in Queens, she now lives in Charlotte, NC with her family.

Booklist Reviews

Rather than tell Aretha Franklin's entire story, this focused biography concentrates on her trailblazing song "Respect" and its impact on the Civil Rights Movement. Short passages relate Aretha's musical background in the church and on tour with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. These experiences laid the foundation when 24-year-old Aretha composed "Respect" in 1967. As Abdurraqib describes how the song became an anthem for people protesting racism and war, he includes an acrostic poem based on Aretha's choral R-E-S-P-E-C-T and uses the weather metaphorically to convey the cloudy skies of oppression and the light that the song brought to marches and homes. Evans' vibrant and expressive full-page digital illustrations with people of varying skin tones reinforce this imagery. Among the concluding illustrations are Aretha receiving the Presidential Medal of Freedom (unspecified by the text) and renderings of today's young people continuing Aretha's call by protesting for #BlackLivesMatter, clean water, and more social justice. An author's note fills in more details. Carole Boston Weatherford's RESPECT: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul (2020) offers another look at the artist's life. Grades K-2. Copyright 2021 Booklist Reviews.

Kirkus Reviews

The timeless Queen of Soul is introduced to a new generation. In his picture-book debut, National Book Award longlisted author Abdurraqib traces Aretha Franklin's groundbreaking career as a singer and her legacy as a civil rights activist. Beginning with her childhood singing gospel in her father's church, the story covers her time traveling with Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., her rise to international stardom, and the emergence of her iconic signature song "Respect" as a popular and powerful anthem of Black and female empowerment during the 1960s. The text is written mostly in simple expository prose except for an acrostic poem on one double-page spread in which the first letters of each line spell out the word respect. Evans' vibrant digital illustrations highlight Franklin's beauty and vitality and the racial diversity of the people who were in her thrall. As acknowledged in the backmatter, attempting to encapsulate all that Franklin was in a picture book is a difficult task, and indeed, the book feels overambitious at times, but its message regarding music's power to help love conquer hate is compelling. A sweet, upbeat testimonial to the ongoing, far-reaching impact of a dearly departed legend. (author's note) (Picture book biography. 4-8) Copyright Kirkus 2021 Kirkus/BPI Communications. All rights reserved.