Description: "The aspirational story of American musician B.B. King, from his childhood in the Jim Crow South to his triumphant reign as the King of Blues"--
Brief description:
Alice Faye Duncan has written fourteen celebrated picture books, including Yellow Dog Blues; Evicted; Memphis, Martin, and the Mountaintop; and Opal Lee and What It Means to Be Free. She was a National Board library media specialist in Memphis, Tennessee, for thirty years and travels the nation speaking about the American civil rights movement. Alice Faye Duncan lives in Memphis, Tennessee.
Review Quotes:
Williams' oil and acrylic collage illustrations layer emotive portraits atop abstract shapes, intricate landscapes, and found paper like sheet music and newsprint. The stunning imagery evokes stained glass or panels of a divinely glowing triptych. . . . Duncan's expressive prose echoes the lyrics of a powerful blues song, ensuring its pages will be read (or sung) aloud on repeat. A moving melody of striking visuals and soulful words. - Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
A lyrical poem by Duncan opens the book, setting a poignant tone that mirrors the emotional depth of the blues, capturing its essence. Her assured prose throughout gently guides readers into the life of one of the genre's most iconic figures. Through a rich interplay of soft and vibrant colors, expressive shapes, and soulful portraits, Williams's art--crafted in oil and acrylic collage--amplifies the biography's emotional resonance and brings King's story vividly to life. - Horn Book (starred review)
In oratorical language that rises and falls like a fervent sermon, Duncan takes her subject from teased, stuttering child in the Mississippi cotton fields to renowned "King of the Blues." In Williams' paint-and-collage scenes--geometric patterns predominantly in pastel blues and greens--represent musical soundscapes behind the musician and groups of dark-skinned figures with reverently downcast eyes. - Booklist
Readers can follow along as B.B. King leaves behind small town Mississippi for the Memphis blues scene in this picture book biography. The text captures the feel and rhythm of King's songs. A combination of oil, acrylics, and collage creates scenes of rural farm life and Beale Street, as well as images of King busking on a street corner or riffing on his electric guitar. Patterns of shapes and colors in the background give images the feeling of quilt patterns or stained glass. A thoroughly accessible and enjoyable introduction to a blues legend; highly recommended for elementary school collections. - School Library Journal (starred review)