Nina: Jazz Legend and Civil-Rights Activist Nina Simone [Hardcover]

A stunning picture-book biography of the High Priestess of Soul and one of the greatest voices of the 20th century.

With evocative black-and-white illustrations and moving prose, readers are introduced to Nina Simone, jazz-music legend and civil-rights activist. Shared as a lullaby to her daughter, a soulful song recounts Simone's career, the trials she faced as an African American woman, and the stand she took during the Civil Rights Movement. This poignant picture book offers a melodic tale that is both a historic account of an iconic figure and an extraordinary look at how far we've come and how far we still need to go for social justice and equality. A timeless and timely message aptly appropriate for today's social and political climates.


♦ A good introduction to Simone’s life, from her early love of music to her rise to the status of legend —Kirkus Reviews, starred review

♦ Strikingly illustrated —Booklist, starred review

♦ Hauntingly beautiful illustrations —Foreword Reviews, starred review

Stirring and powerful. . . —BookPage
Nina Simone probably won’t be a familiar name to primary graders, but that doesn’t matter much in this captivating book focusing on the young Nina and how early events in her life shaped her adult passions. This begins with Nina singing a lullaby she’s written to her daughter. At bedtime, she tells the child stories of her own youth. When she first saw a piano, she noticed the black keys were smaller than the white ones—and that could have become a metaphor for the world. “Black people were nothing but half notes on a huge ivory keyboard. But no. I did not agree with this.” Another incident, after she’s become an accomplished musician: at a concert, her mother is seated up-front until white audience members arrive. But Nina won’t play if her mother must movel3#