A resonant profile of the great singer and Civil Rights activist.Cast in third person despite the lead-author credit, Staples' tale goes back to the Great Migration, when Roebuck "Pops" Staples left Mound Bayou, Mississippi, for Chicago. There, he taught his four children to sing in harmony-with little Mavis standing on a chair to reach the microphone. They performed in churches, later broadening their repertoire as the Staple Singers to include "message music" for the Civil Rights Movement, then venturing into soul, R&B, and other styles. Gifted with "a voice as deep as a river / and as dusky as the night," Mavis describes her musical growth in architectural terms, with family the "foundation," Chicago's South Side a "cornerstone," and singers such as Mahalia Jackson "bronze pillars of living inspiration." In the reverent illustrations, the singer grows to adulthood and then iconic elder amid swirls of musical notes and song titles, plus cameos of associated stars and celebrities from Lena Horne to Martin Luther King Jr., from Elvis to Prince, and from Barack Obama to Whodini and Ice Cube. On a more personal note, she closes with a statement of values: "Put your heart in anything you do. / Keep the faith."A moving look back at a long and storied career. (timeline, recommended films and recordings) (Picture-book biography. 7-9)

Gr 3–5 —Staples, with Weatherford, recounts biographical events from when she was a girl attending services at the Progressive Baptist Church and delighting in the church's choir to when she and her family reached stardom through gospel music and soul. Icon Staples grew up in a deeply religious family, listening to the gospel and singing with a powerful "husky" alto voice that characterized her performances next to the Staple Singers. This picture book highlights segregated America, racial discrimination, and the importance of music for the Civil Rights Movement, as Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. would note. The narrative is presented in rhyming lines, emphasizing the family's humble beginnings faith convictions, Pops Staples as a patriarchal figure, and what it meant to be a part of a musical family touring the United States. The text is filled with vocabulary words in a descriptive, poetic rendition suited for mature readers who can understand the power of music in Black communities; there is a reference to a switch used for a whipping. The digital illustrations accentuate oversized human characters and infuse the background with musical figures and decorative white and rainbow waves to denote the presence of music throughout the book. The color palette comprises white and shades of blue, brown, and purple, transporting readers back in history as they accompany award-winning Staples on this biographical journey. The back matter contains a list of recommended listening, documentaries, and a time line of Staples's musical achievements. VERDICT An inspiring picture book for older children who love biographies, for use in units covering the importance of music in the Civil Rights Movement.—Kathia Ibacache