We have read a couple of the Little People, Big Dreams series and each one has been utterly inspirational, including this new addition about the Queen of soul, Aretha Franklin.
Written by @mariaisabelsanchezvegara, the book begins with Aretha's childhood in Detroit, where she started singing in a gospel choir at the church where her father was a minister, before telling how she secured a record contract, sung, wrote and produced incredible songs, and became the first woman to be inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. I'm in awe of how Maria tells Aretha's story in such a wonderful, uplifting way (it must have been so hard deciding what to include without this being 5,000 pages long!) and @amyjpeg's illustrations are emotive and beautiful (the Respect page is particularly wonderful!). 
Aretha was an incredible musician and reading her story, like those of other incredible people in the series like Rosa Parks, Amelia Earhart, and Alan Turing, can only help to inspire our little people to chase their dreams and achieve amazing things.

Great books, wonderful illustrations. I find enjoyment of these books varies and this one is wonderfully done

Another good addition to this great series. The illustrations are vibrant, reflecting the lively passion of Aretha; her story is told well highlighting a few facts even adults might not realize. All in all an enjoyable and enlightening read.

"Aretha Franklin" beautiful addition to the wonderful Little People, Big Dreams series. Much like the other books in this collection, the book tells the story of Aretha Franklin's life with beautiful illustrations and approachable language so that all readers are inspired to dream.

The Little People, Big Dreams Series is one of my favorites, and this picture book bio of Aretha Franklin is just lovely. It takes us from Aretha's childhood in Detroit, where she sang for her church choir all the way to the Presidential Inauguration of Barack Obama, where she sang for America. The illustrations were lovely. I especially enjoyed the drawings of her album covers in one picture and the depictions of 1960s dance floor fashions in another. A beautiful little book.

Little People, Big Dreams is by far my favourite children's book series! I absolutely adore these little non-fiction journeys showing us behind the scenes of many famous people. This time around it's Aretha Franklin! This is one famous lady with lots of talent that I honestly didn't know that much about (despite the fact I am willing to blast out a tune at any time by this fabulous lady).

This book is quite short and only gives a little bit of background into Aretha (not much more than I already knew), but it's still quite the gem! It's a great way to introduce the Queen of R&B and Soul to children.

Four out of five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review.

4.5★
“Aretha used a secret recipe when writing her songs: They had to talk about everyday ups and downs. That’s what soul was all about!”

This is another of the wonderful series of books that features people who’ve excelled in life through talent and hard work. Of course, I especially enjoy seeing girls featured, since so many of them beat the odds to succeed. As for girls who aren’t classic blonde beauties, they’re up against even greater obstacles on their road to success.

There is no question that Aretha Franklin was born to sing! Her mother was a gospel singer, father was a preacher, so she started singing in church from a young age.

My Goodreads reviews includes an illustration captioned: Aretha as a little girl, singing in the bathtub

Of course she would graduate from singing in the tub to singing in the church choir, where her voice was obviously special.

My Goodreads reviews includes an illustration captioned: The choir enjoying Aretha in full voice

Eventually, she accepted an offer of a recording contract, and her songs began capturing a whole new audience.

My Goodreads reviews includes an illustration captioned: Aretha and her fans in the Swinging Sixties

Her big jump to fame came with the song “R-E-S-P-E-C-T”, written by Otis Redding, that “sounded brand new in Aretha’s voice. Suddenly, the words of a tired working man became an anthem for African American women demanding equal respect.”

My Goodreads reviews includes an illustration captioned: Aretha, at the piano, belting out “R-E-S-P-E-C-T”

She started writing and producing her own songs, and that’s when she explained that soul was about everyday ups and downs. She was so successful, she became the first woman inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame!

My Goodreads reviews includes an illustration captioned: Aretha the trailblazer in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame with BB King, Elvis, and Chuck Berry

She sang for her friend Martin Luther King, Jr’s funeral, and she sang at Barack Obama’s historic inauguration as President of the United States in 2009. This book includes both an illustration of the inauguration outfit plus a real photograph at the end, along with some photos and more details of her life.

My Goodreads reviews includes an illustration captioned: Aretha, singing “My County ‘Tis of Thee” at the Obama inauguration

My Goodreads reviews includes an illustration captioned: Photo of Aretha at the inauguration

Yes, that’s Hillary Clinton behind her on the right. Bill is hidden by her. She sure came a long way from the family bathtub.

As usual, there are some real photos and more information plus suggestions for other books to read about Aretha. It’s a wonderful series, and I always look forward to their new additions.

Thanks to NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children’s Books for the preview copy from which I’ve selected illustrations.

This new title in the Little People, Big Dreams series tells the story of Aretha Franklin. The story has beautiful illustrations and serves as a good introduction to Aretha. The book also has back matter with further biographical information including a timeline.

I requested and received an e-ARC of this book from Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara and Quatro Publishing Group through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

I love the Little People, BIG Dreams series. I love that these books introduce kids to amazing people and this one did not let us down. Reading the last two sentences in this book made me tear up; Aretha Franklin was awesome!

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Another beautifully condensed biography for children about yet another amazing and inspirational person for them to be inspired by.

The illustrations in this book were beautiful and the child friendly information about Aretha Franklin was beautifully put together.
I love these books and find them a joy to read.

I love the time-lines at the back of each of these books which give a little extra information especially for older children.

Arethas' story shows that through love, passion, faith and determination you can fulfill your dreams.

Aretha Franklin is another fantastic book in the Little People, Big Dreams series from Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara. The Little People Big Dreams series is the most beautiful set of non-fiction children’s books I have ever come across. Each gorgeous hard cover book is a child-friendly biography of a significant person from history. There are so many inspirational men and women to choose from.

Each book focuses on one individual from history. Many are quite recent, bringing history from living memory to life for children. The stories are very relatable, starting with when the individual was a child (just like the reader). The development of their passion and dreams for the future are clearly explained in an accessible but detailed manner. There is so much to learn from each biography! The books focus on positive traits, creating wonderful role models. Resilience, hard work, determination, a positive attitude and a sense of what is right play centre stage as children see that anything is possible if you follow your dreams. The wide range of role models allows children to expand their worlds. With such a broad series, there is something to suit every child and every interest.

The books are brightly coloured and so appealing. They have a feeling of quality inside and out. With a manageable amount of text on each page and engaging illustrations, the reader is drawn into the fascinating facts and stories of overcoming obstacles and achieving great things. They can’t help but be inspired!

Aretha Franklin was born to sing. When she was young, she learned from the music all around her. Gospel music inspired the power of her voice. As she grew older, she wanted to take her voice outside the churches and into people’s homes. She found fame because of her incredible voice and the fact that her songs talked about the everyday ups and downs of life. This amazing woman was a trailblazer for black and female artists.

These fantastic books would be at home in any primary classroom as well as on a bookshelf at home. They deserve to be read over and over again as children get to know the wonderful people within.

Thank you to NetGalley and Frances Lincoln Children’s Books for this wonderful book! It will be published in August 2020.

What an amazing addition to an empowering series. Not only are the illustrations inviting and colourful, it is also a great introduction of Aretha Franklin' life and the power of music.

This story of Aretha Franklin is a must for all libraries for littles! It explores why the Queen of Soul wanted to sing, and how she came to sing numerous genres. The illustrations are bright and colorful, and you can see and feel the music dancing on pages. This story draws you in. It is also a great book to help diversify your library as it speaks on Black rights and equality, even more so for Black women.

Received e-arc for honest review.

I love this series even though it can be quite hit and miss – and unfortunately, for me this one was a bit of a miss. I don't know much about Aretha Franklin, and having read this I still don't know much about her! There's no sense of her uniqueness or the struggles she had to overcome to be successful – at least I assume she had struggles, although based on this book you wouldn't know.

I understand these books are for children, but plenty of children come from difficult circumstances and have big dreams, and I think it would be more inspiring and helpful for those children to show people having actual struggles and overcoming them, even if that would have to be toned down and simplified for the audience. Other books in the series have managed this, so it's a shame that this one didn't.

Amazing series .I just love this series .Informative and inspiring.Just a wish if we could add more Asian personalities in it like AbdulSattar Edhi,Malala etc

It might be short, but that works for the intended audience. I loved the illustrations and it's nice to see the message that "anything is possible" for young kids.

The joyous cover says so much.  Here is the story of a woman who loves to sing.  As is always true, this entry in the Little People, Big Dreams celebrates a life and tells a story for young readers in an engaging way. 


Readers will learn that Aretha grew up surrounded by music.  She sang in church before moving on to a more secular stage.  Aretha sang for Martin Luther King Jr. and Barack Obama. She wrote her own music and, of course, became known for singing R E S P E C T.  What a value to teach our young!


Many thanks to NetGalley for this gorgeously illustrated title in exchange for an honest review.

An excellent nonfiction title that will entertain readers and educate them on the queen of soul that reigned with dignity and grace for over 60 years.

Thank you to the publisher for an advance copy of this book via netgalley!

What a wonderful book! lots of beautiful and colourful pictures that illustrate the incredible journey of Aretha! It touches upon lots of important topics in a very easy to read way for younger kids. My daughter even wanted to hear RESPECT after reading the book to hear Aretha’s voice!

The illustrations in this book are gorgeous and joyful. Aretha Franklin is a wonderful addition to the Little People, Big Dreams series. I highly recommend this title for your classrooms and libraries.

Learn about Aretha’s upbringing; about her love of singing gospel in her church. Her dad was a minister and musician and brought Aretha along to sing. She gained popularity at a young age. Overcoming some life difficulties, Aretha moved to New York City at the age of 18 where she got a record contract. She was eventually given the nickname “Queen of Soul” because of her emotive singing.

When Aretha recorded the song R-E-S-P-E-C-T, the song became wildly successful. After winning multiple awards for her music, Aretha was the first woman inducted into The Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

Amy Blackwell’s illustrations are stellar. Do not miss this important book that celebrates the musical contribution of Ms. Franklin.

I received an ARC copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review