K-Gr 5—Todd describes how a child with a passion for all music, faced with inequities and injustices, raised her
voice. Readers get a strong sense of Nina Simone's talent and impact as a vocalist, musician, and activist.
Triumphant, candy-colorful illustrations support the melodious text and reveal details about the era.

The cover of this book is eye catching (I admit I picked it up partly because of it and also I wanted to learn more about one of my favorite jazz singers). The illustrations are bold and remind me of Nina Simone's bold style. Traci Todd does a wonderful job sharing the story of her life, but also capturing Nina Simone's frustrations with the racism she experiences and how her music reflected the Civil Right movement. ( )

Tells the life story of the legendary singer Nina Simone. Born in North Carolina she loved music and to sing and play the piano. "She sang before she could talk and found rhythm before she could walk." Through music lessons she learned about all the classical composers in white wigs. Her rich and smooth voice became the voice of the Civil Rights Movement.

This does exactly what I want a children's biography to do: tell me why the person was important, and do it in a way that makes me want to learn more about them. I now know my music mix is woefully lacking in Nina Simone, and I'm working to rectify that ASAP.

It was a little odd that the end matter just retold the story of the picture book in five pages of text with fewer pictures and slightly more facts and names. I would have liked to seen the space used to offer a discography, recommended playlist (or Spotify QR code), and actual pictures of Nina Simone.

(Another project! I'm reading all the picture books and graphic novels from NPR's Books We Love 2021: Kids’ Books list.) ( )