RESPECT: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul

by Carole Boston Weatherford, Frank Morrison (Illustrator)

Overview

Notes From Your Bookseller

A tribute fit for the Queen of Soul, the story of Aretha Franklin’s remarkable life is shared in a unique and gorgeously impressionable way that only the award-winning duo of Carole Boston Weatherford and Frank Morrison could create. As inspirational as it is educational, this Coretta Scott King award-winning book is the perfect way to honor an unmatched legend in American culture — all with a little (or a lot of) R-E-S-P-E-C-T!

Winner of the Coretta Scott King Illustration Award! From a New York Times bestselling author and an acclaimed illustrator comes this vibrant portrait of Aretha Franklin that pays her the R-E-S-P-E-C-T this Queen of Soul deserves.

Aretha Franklin was born to sing. The daughter of a pastor and a gospel singer, her musical talent was clear from her earliest days in her father’s Detroit church where her soaring voice spanned more than three octaves.

Her string of hit songs earned her the title “the Queen of Soul,” multiple Grammy Awards, and a place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. But Aretha didn’t just raise her voice in song, she also spoke out against injustice and fought for civil rights.

This authoritative, rhythmic, Coretta Scott King Illustration Award–winning picture book biography will captivate young readers with Aretha’s inspiring story.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781534452282
Publisher:	Atheneum Books for Young Readers
Publication date:	08/25/2020
Pages:	48
Sales rank:	138,989
Product dimensions:	11.30(w) x 11.10(h) x 0.70(d)
Lexile:	AD830L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Carole Boston Weatherford has written many award-winning books for children, including Kin, illustrated by her son Jeffery and a Coretta Scott King Author Honor recipient; Box, which won a Newbery Honor; Unspeakable, which won the Coretta Scott King Award, a Caldecott Honor, and was a finalist for the National Book Award; Respect: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul, winner of the Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award; ALA Notable Children’s Book You Can Fly; and Caldecott Honor winners Freedom in Congo Square; Voice of Freedom: Fannie Lou Hamer, Spirit of the Civil Rights Movement; and Moses: When Harriet Tubman Led Her People to Freedom. Carole lives in North Carolina. Visit her at CBWeatherford.com.

Frank Morrison is the award-winning illustrator of many books for young readers, including Jazzy Miz Mozetta, winner of the Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe Award for New Talent; Little Melba and Her Big Trombone, a Coretta Scott King Illustrator Honor book; Muhammad Ali; and How Sweet the Sound. Before becoming a children’s book illustrator and fine artist, Morrison toured the globe as a break-dancer. He lives in Georgia with his family.

Editorial Reviews

07/13/2020

Riffing on the memorably sung spelling of Franklin’s hit “Respect,” each spread of this picture book biography pairs a single word with a rhyming couplet to trace the sweep of Franklin’s life: “T-A-L-E-N-T/ Young Aretha’s solos soar with artistry./ Her wise father senses his daughter’s destiny.” Though the rhymes skew pat (“Aretha’s crowned as Queen of Soul, our own royalty./ She wins awards and accolades, and more than one degree”), Weatherford presents an overview of key moments in the notable singer’s life, particularly her contributions to the civil rights movement. Morrison’s rich illustrations use a stylized realism to depict Franklin’s trajectory from preacher’s daughter to beloved icon, building to the rapt faces of Barack and Michelle Obama watching as Franklin sings at the 2009 U.S. presidential inauguration. Back matter includes a list of Franklin’s hit songs and a detailed biography. Ages 4–8. (Aug.)

Publishers Weekly

* "The award-winning author-illustrator team of Weatherford and Morrison have taken on the life story of the Queen of Soul, and the result is a beautiful work of art."

STARRED review Booklist

★ 08/01/2020

PreS-Gr 3—Weatherford, using rhyming couplets to explain important words from Aretha Franklin's life (Detroit, groove, proud, and humble) as she chronicles the Queen of Soul's childhood, her rising stardom, and her political activism. Readers who are craving in-depth details about Franklin can turn to the author's note or other sources, but this book is not a meticulous biography. Rather, Weatherford presents a powerful celebration of the legendary singer that offers snapshots of major life events. Morrison's colorful paintings pulse with energy, and every page is dynamic. The interplay between the deceptively simple narrative and Morrison's illustrations is pitch-perfect. For example, the pages for "Detroit" (the family moves from Memphis, TN) and "Strife" (Barbara Franklin leaves the family after her husband's infidelity) mirror each other to powerful effect: The family stands before a large tree to "put down roots" in each spread, but Barbara is absent in the artwork for "Strife." This beautiful picture book biography packs an emotional punch that is as compelling as the timeless songs that Franklin made famous. VERDICT Purchase this luscious, lyrical book for all nonfiction collections.—Jen McConnel, Queen's Univ., Ont.

School Library Journal

2020-05-03
The early beginnings and professional life of the prolific singer and activist are presented in this LP–shaped picture book.

The text is presented in rhyming couplets, one per double-page spread, with a spelled-out lead word printed in block letters setting each one up. “B-L-E-S-S-E-D” leads off, and the titular “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” introduces the final couplet. The short stanzas move the book quickly from one point in Franklin’s life to the next, hinting kaleidoscopically at who she was and why she was so important. Children with no previous familiarity with the subject will require context from caregivers to understand most points. (A narrative biographical note sums up the main points in the backmatter.) Weatherford acknowledges that Franklin’s mother left the family when her preacher father was unfaithful: “Clarence and Barbara Franklin can’t seem to agree. / Daddy wasn’t faithful, so Mama chose to flee.” The spread that includes this information is introduced with “S-T-R-I-F-E,” and the illustration is almost identical to one seen earlier symbolically showing the family establishing roots in “D-E-T-R-O-I-T.” Though Barbara is missing from the “S-T-R-I-F-E” illustration, Clarence wears the same grin, and the effect is unsettling. Overall, the striking, richly colored, painterly illustrations work well with the text and perform due homage to Franklin, but the story of Franklin’s life is left wanting. The oversized, 11 ¼-inch-square trim fittingly accommodates its subject.

Read as an ode to Aretha Franklin rather than as a true biography. (discography) (Picture book/biography. 5-8)

Kirkus Reviews