Sing, Aretha, sing! Aretha Franklin, "Respect," and the civil rights movement

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.

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

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.

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.