Annotated Bibliography I: Biography

 

Image Retrieved from R-E-S-P-E-C-T: Aretha Franklin, the... book by Carole Boston Weatherford
(thriftbooks.com)

Happy Black History Month!

Summary

This book, written by Carole Boston Weatherford and illustrated by Frank Morrison, is a poem/biography of the life of Aretha Franklin. The story begins with her early childhood, growing up singing in a Black church, to her first record deal, to fighting in the civil rights movement, all the way to her singing at President Obama's first inauguration. The end of the book includes an author's note explaining more in-depth information about each event covered in her poem and honors/awards she won in her lifetime. She also includes a list of Aretha Franklin's biggest hits!

My Impressions and How I Would Use This Book
I absolutely love this book. The illustrations are absolutely beautiful, and Weatherford does a wonderful job at telling the good, the bad, and the ugly of Franklin's life in a developmentally appropriate way. The professional review featured in Kirkus Reviews (see below) recommends the book for children ages 5-8, but I think this book could be equally appealing for any elementary grade or even used up into junior high years. It is incredibly versatile. The extra information in the author's notes provides in-depth context for practicing informational-text writing and reading, while the biography being written in the form of a poem provides content for practicing reading and writing poetry! For lower grades, I would use this book for a biography and/or Black history unit where students learn about strong Black role models and then write their own biographies based on the figures we learned in the unit. For upper-elementary grades, I would use it for the same purpose while incorporating poetry and have students write their own poem about another Black historical figure using Weatherford's spelling and rhyming structures. 

Professional Review

The early beginnings and professional life of the prolific singer and activist are presented in this LP–shaped picture book. The text is presented in rhyming couplets, one per double-page spread, with a spelled-out lead word printed in block letters setting each one up. “B-L-E-S-S-E-D” leads off, and the titular “R-E-S-P-E-C-T” introduces the final couplet. The short stanzas move the book quickly from one point in Franklin’s life to the next, hinting kaleidoscopically at who she was and why she was so important. Children with no previous familiarity with the subject will require context from caregivers to understand most points. (A narrative biographical note sums up the main points in the backmatter.) Weatherford acknowledges that Franklin’s mother left the family when her preacher father was unfaithful: “Clarence and Barbara Franklin can’t seem to agree. / Daddy wasn’t faithful, so Mama chose to flee.” The spread that includes this information is introduced with “S-T-R-I-F-E,” and the illustration is almost identical to one seen earlier symbolically showing the family establishing roots in “D-E-T-R-O-I-T.” Though Barbara is missing from the “S-T-R-I-F-E” illustration, Clarence wears the same grin, and the effect is unsettling. Overall, the striking, richly colored, painterly illustrations work well with the text and perform due homage to Franklin, but the story of Franklin’s life is left wanting. The oversized, 11 ¼-inch-square trim fittingly accommodates its subject.
Read as an ode to Aretha Franklin rather than as a true biography. (discography) (Picture book/biography. 5-8)
Audience: Children's
ISBN: 978-1-5344-5228-2
Author: Weatherford, Carole Boston
Retrieved From: R-E-S-P-E-C-T: ARETHA FRANKLIN, THE QUEEN OF SOUL. (2020). Kirkus Reviews, Lxxxviii(10) https://login.ezproxy.jbu.edu/login?url=https://www.proquest.com/trade-journals/r-e-s-p-c-t/docview/2400918132/se-2

APA Citation

Weatherford, C. B. (2020). RESPECT: Aretha Franklin, the Queen of Soul. Atheneum Books for Young Readers.