This luminous, defining picture book biography illustrated by Caldecott Honoree Christian Robinson, tells the remarkable and inspiring story of acclaimed singer Nina Simone and her bold, defiant, and exultant legacy.
Born Eunice Kathleen Waymon in small town North Carolina, Nina Simone was a musical child. She sang before she talked and learned to play piano at a very young age. With the support of her family and community, she received music lessons that introduced her to classical composers like Bach who remained with her and influenced her music throughout her life. She loved the way his music began softly and then tumbled to thunder, like her mother's preaching, and in much the same way as her career. During her first performances under the name of Nina Simone her voice was rich and sweet but as the Civil Rights Movement gained steam, Nina's voice soon became a thunderous roar as she raised her voice in powerful protest in the fight against racial inequality and discrimination.
A 2023 Texas Topaz Nonfiction Reading List Pick A 2022 Bank Street Best Children’s Book of the Year A 2022 ALA Notable Children’s Book A 2022 NCTE Orbis Pictus Award Winner A 2022 Jane Addams Children’s Book Award Finalist A 2022 ALA Rise: A Feminist Book Project List Pick A 2022 NCTE/CLA Notable Children’s Books in the Language Arts Award Winner A 2022 ILA Notable Book for a Global Society Award Winner A 2022 NCSS-CBC Notable Social Studies Trade Book Pick A 2021Publishers WeeklyBest Book A 2021KirkusBest Book A 2021Horn BookFanfare List Pick A 2021BooklistEditors' Choice A 2021 New York Public Library Best Book Pick A 2021 Chicago Public Library Best Book Pick A 2021 Black Caucus American Library Association Best of the Best Booklist Pick
