Like other books in this series, it is a fun little introduction to inspiring people. Definitely a great way to introduce kids to biographies and a nice read for adults too. I would recommend all the books in this series.

Beyonce was a shy girl. And it shocked me. The diva? The one who wears those super sexy outfits? But these series really makes me think again in life. Mostly Beyonce, who changed so much from the shy little girl into a powerful woman who encourages other black people to stand up for their life. But no matter what color of your skin, you can be like Beyonce: smart, strong and sexy!

5★
“ ‘Beyoncé,’ her mom said to her one day after school with a big smile. ‘I was thinking about signing you up for a dance class. What do you think?’”

The first thing I want to say, is what do you do for the 40th birthday of star who has everything? Write (make) a book, of course. This was published about a week before her 40th birthday on September 4, 2021. I don’t know what she thinks of it, but here’s what I think.

I think the world figures her parents were geniuses to come up with this idea when their seven-year-old daughter was so terribly shy. She secretly performed in her room with her little sister, Solange, as did so many future stars, but she didn’t think her parents were aware.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
Beyoncé and Solange, singing into their hairbrushes

When she was nine, her dad found there were auditions for girls to become part of a girl group. She nervously agreed, but she decided to consider her nerves as excitement and performed flawlessly.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
Beyoncé, dancing up a storm in her audition

It’s no surprise to us now that she got in, of course, along with her cousin, Kelly Rowland. The six girls in Girl Tyme practised their hearts out but didn’t quite make the cut to perform on TV in ‘Star Search’. So her father gave up his job and took on full-time management, swapping three of the original members for a new one. (Names are all given in the book, for those who like details.)

In 1996, they became Destiny’s Child, and eventually, only new member Michelle Williams joined Beyoncé and her cousin Kelly. They had a major hit, ‘No, No, No’ when Beyoncé was 16.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
“It felt like all of Beyoncé’s dreams were coming true, finally. She had worked so hard, and had secretly grumbled to herself about that work not paying off. But it turns out she just needed to wait patiently and not give up. Her moment had arrived. These young women were a force, and the world was about to meet that force, head-on.”

Their first album in 1998 didn’t do so well, and Beyoncé worried that the second album wouldn’t be picked up by the all-powerful radio DJs.

“The second album was called ‘The Writing’s On The Wall’ and radio stations played song after song, and people were still calling in to request to hear them more.

‘I wanna hear “Bills, Bills, Bills!”’ said a girl who called her favorite radio station.

‘Can you guys play “Say My Name”?”’ a woman requested when she called in to her favorite station.

(Remember this was before streaming allowed anyone to get any song on their computer!)”

Successful? It was nominated for six Grammy awards. By 2001, although the next album Destiny’s Child put out debuted at Number One in nine countries, her dad felt the writing was also on the wall for many girl bands and boy bands. So he suggested she turn solo. He had some big plans for her.

She worried about Kelly and Michelle, but they supported her and went out as solo artists themselves.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
Photo of group hug of the girls, and artistic impression of the newly independent Beyoncé

In 2008, Beyoncé announced one of her goals.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
“‘I want to be an icon’ Beyoncé told a glossy magazine in September 2008. She was 26 at the time.”

She became Queen Bey, but she continued working as hard as ever.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
Beyoncé’s busy days

She was driven and never let up the pressure on herself. She wanted to be a legend and kept reinventing herself, deciding her onstage persona would be Sasha Fierce. Privately and in business, she remained Beyoncé, the business professional.

She had some differences with her dad and decided to manage her own career. She and entertainer Jay-Z married, and she took some time off to rest and recharge, coming back in 2011 with her album “4”.

“When MTV asked her to perform ‘Love On Top’ at the 2011 Video Music Awards, Beyoncé decided this would be a great time to tell the world her good news. We know that Beyoncé liked to reveal intimate details of her life through her work, so you can probably guess how she announced her pregnancy…

Yep! That’s right. Beyoncé performed ‘Love On Top’ at the VMAs and ended the song by opening her jacket to reveal her pregnant belly. It was a wild moment.”

She says she is stronger in her songs than in real life, and she wants to use the power of her music as “a vehicle for change.” She and Jay-Z are passionate advocates of the Black Lives Matter movement.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
“Beyoncé and Jay-Z had officially taken their stance as a couple against the injustices of being Black in America. It would soon be revered as a very important stance to take.”

On her website, Beyoncé.com:

“These robberies of lives make us feel helpless and hopeless but we have to believe that we are fighting for the rights of the next generation, for the next young men and women who believe in good.”

They had more than their share of criticism by people who thought they were too rich to protest and by fans who wanted them to stop campaigning and just sing. In the meantime, the BeyHive (‘beehive’) and other fans drowned out the complaints, and her concerts sold out as fast as ever.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
Beyonce wears her power and influence with pride.

Reinventing herself again, she collaborated with dozens of artists and produced an album and a documentary “Lemonade”, about empowering women, particularly black and brown women. Her daughter, Blue Ivy, even sang on ‘Brown Skin Girl’. It made a lot of people uncomfortable, but she is as popular as ever, and as we all know, if life gives you lemons . . .

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
Beyonce, from the video

At the end of the book are ten Key Lessons you can learn from Beyoncé (work hard, give back) and questions to ask yourself to start you thinking (who would be in YOUR band?, how would you deal with privacy?). Plus, there’s a list of further resources about Beyoncé and about Black Lives Matter, including "We Should All Be Feminists" by a writer I admire, Chimamanda Ngozi Adichie.

This is quite a comprehensive, detailed, 64-page book with wonderful illustrations. I’ve included so many to show the variety of styles. It’s the kind of graphic production that will appeal not only to a Young Adult audience, but to plenty of adult fans as well. Modern art about a modern artist.

If you are a fan, put this on your Christmas list. If you know some fans, you know what to get them!

Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing’s Frances Lincoln Children’s Books, but don’t let the word children scare you off!

Work It, Girl: Beyoncé Knowles - Rule The Music Scene Like Queen by Caroline Moss is such an inspiring read about Beyoncé. I have always been a fan but learned so much about rise to stardom. An enjoyable read for all ages. #WorkItGirlBeyoncéKnowles #NetGalley

This is an awesome book for young fans of Beyonce. There are a lot of interesting tidbits from her life that show how she became the legend she is today. The chapters were short for those who need breaks while reading. The illustrations were fun. At the end there was a maze to complete, and thoughtfulbl questions to discuss.

Work, It Girl: Beyonce Knowles is a fabulous and inspiring book about the pop icon. The content is vibrant and empowering and I absolutely adored the illustrations. The book highlights her career and what makes her such a powerful icon. Fans of all ages will enjoy this one!

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for providing this ARC.

What a pleasant surprise! This was a very thorough, very accessible book about one of the best people ever. Beyoncé truly is a remarkable woman and even though this is a book written for children I think anyone can benefit from reading it.

Prior to reading this book, I was only vaguely familiar with Beyonce... I liked her in Destiny's Child, I knew some of the lyrics to songs from early on in her career, and I knew she was married to Jay Z and had a daughter. I really enjoyed getting to know more about her, and learning about her career. Beyonce shows that through dedication, hard work, and perseverance, you can achieve your goals.

This is such a beautifully illustrated book with an inspiring story! I definitely think that kids of all ages will relate to Beyoncé's story and will be able to envision a future for themselves fulfilling their dreams! I did not know all these details about Beyoncé before reading this book and walked away with even greater respect for her.

I loved everything about this book. The illustrations are incredibly creative and inspired my daughter to try to do some of her own art in a similar fashion. Beyoncè's story is told in small enough pieces to hold the attention of younger children. This book is a winner for all children and would make a great gift.

The publisher made a copy of this book available for review via Netgalley. This is my honest review.

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

Work It girl: Beyonce Knowles, is the first book in this amazing series that I've had the pleasure of reading so far, and it won't be the last!
Beyonce has always been a huge inspiration to me growing up - her work ethic, inspiration, style and music - much of who's songs have got me through some challenging times in my life.
This book is amazing, it is a great way to inspire and motivate the future generations of today! Not only does the book tell Beyonces story from being a shy child to pop icon, but it lists her achievements, struggles, highs and lows. Told over 10 chapters with beautiful illustrations, this book is definitely the book all children need to read today!

I will be purchasing a hardcopy of this for my daughter and my senior English classroom. It's a beautiful book and tells a great story of an icon. It is interactive and self-reflexive. Love it.

This book is really inspiring, being a fan of Beyoncé for a really long time, I was so happy to get this book and to learn more about her! it goes in depth about her family and first times at music and makes me feel like I really know her in real life. The word choice and pictures are absolutely splendid and I 100% recommend this to anyone else who loves informative picture/written biographies!

Work It, Girl is an excellent biography for young chapter book readers. It tells the story of Beyonce beginning when she was a shy child. Beyonce’s parents accepted her personality but hoped to bring her out of herself a bit, so suggested a dance class. In many ways, the rest is history! With her family’s support Beyonce kept moving forward.

One thing that I very much like in this book is its emphasis on how hard Beyonce worked and what she gave up to achieve her early goals. When others in her school were dating or playing sports, she and her group members practiced and focused on school work with no time for anything else. This message is helpful for young readers who may think that Beyonce’s success was easy or automatic. It was not.

Readers follow Beyonce from her first girl band, through Destiny’s Child and on to her solo career. Beyonce continued to work hard and have big dreams. She also had a personal life and some of the book is devoted to this as well as Jay Z and Beyonce’s desire to become parents. In addition, readers watch Beyonce as she becomes active with Black Lives Matter.

The biography is illustrated with collage like pictures. There are also some photographs. The end of the book includes extras like a maze, a section titled “Rule the music scene like Beyonce” and more. There is so much to Beyonce’s story. Readers will realize this. This book would make a great choice for a biography book report as it is a good read and about a popular current figure.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Rule the Music Scene Like Queen Beyoncé Knowles is the sixth book in the Work It, Girl series by Caroline Moss and illustrated by Sinem Erkas. The series is an empowering series of biographies featuring modern women. This new installment is told in 10 chapters highlighting important moments in Beyoncé's life, her work ethic, activism and road to success. There are 10 key lessons at the end to self-reflect and help apply to a reader's own life.

Unlike Bey's many projects, it is no secret that I am a proud card-carrying-tour-savings-account-listen-on-demand member of the BeyHive. So I jumped at the opportunity to read and review this advance copy of the newest Work It, Girl book. Did I care that it was children's? Not one bit. In fact, I was more likely to read it as a potential summer bookclub choice for my niece. (Because like any Rich Auntie, we have dance parties to Queen Bey's music and know the choreography to a tee!)

I am so sharing this new children's book with my niece and recommending for all young Bookhearts. I plan to read a couple of the other books in the Work It, Girl series (featuring Mae Jemison, Michelle Obama, J.K. Rowling, Oprah and Ellen). I'm also adding the published print version to my personal library since it has bright illustrations of 3D cut paper artwork of inspiring quotes. So well done!

~LiteraryMarie

I'm so moved. Energised. Motivated all over again. I just needed another read on Beyoncé. It's all that mattered today.

I love how concise yet accurate this little book is! The artstyle/illustrations are so unique.

This little book showed how the diva entered into the world of entertainment and how she is as a person behind the screen.

I have been a huge fan of her ever since I watched Destiny Child's Independent Women. And yes, she's always someone I will always look for whenever I want to see a strong, independent woman.

Love this book so much!

Thank you, authors and the publisher, for the advance reading copy.