Dolly is a little girl with a BIG voice. Music fills Dolly's heart so plumb full she has to let it out! She'll even sing to her cornhusk dolls or a pen full of pigs. She makes her own drum from a pot and her own guitar from a broken mandolin. But what Dolly dreams of is performing for a real audience--people who would hear her sing, and applaud!

In this stirring biography of a true artistic and social icon, young readers learn how Aretha's talent, intelligence, and perseverance made her a star who will shine on for generations to come. --

"A nonfiction picture book biography celebrating Evelyn Glennie, a deaf woman, who became the first full-time solo percussionist in the world"--

"The story of Blind Willie Johnson--the legendary Texas musician whose song "Dark Was the Night" was included on the Voyager I space probe's Golden Record"--

"Who was David Bowie? A young boy named David Jones who studied art, music, and design at school. A pioneer of the glam rock movement, as Ziggy Stardust and his band the Spiders from Mars. One of the most influential musicians of the twentieth century. All of the above!"--

Five girls played together in the Smith Sisters Orchestra: Irene on trombone, Erma on vibraphone, Edwina on trumpet, Mildred on violin, and Lila on saxophone. But what of the littlest sister? When Viola's time came, almost every instrument was taken...except one. When she first sat behind a drum kit, she lost the beat, made a terrible racket, and had more fun than she'd ever had before. Viola took to the road with her family, learned from the greats,...

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...

The New York Times bestselling author of Eyes That Kiss in the Corners, Joanna Ho, delivers a poignant picture book biography about the musician Yo-Yo Ma, immigration, and using music to build bridges. "Everyone can benefit from Ho's message of music bringing calm and peace to the world." --Booklist Joanna Ho's lyrical writing and Teresa Martinez's vibrant art weave together to tell an inspiring story of Yo-Yo Ma, who challenges conventions, expectations,...

Chronicles the life of a renowned classical singer who, despite numerous setbacks, became a singing sensation, a voice of the Civil Rights Movement, and the winner of the first ever Presidential Medal of Freedom and a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

"Award-winning author Tonya Bolden and acclaimed illustrator R. Gregory Christie deliver an inspiring true story about the life, career, and impact of 20th-century blues and gospel singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe, who was a trailblazer for rock-and-roll. Includes a timeline of Sister Rosetta Tharpe's life, author's note, and a list of sources. Before there was Elvis, Chuck Berry, Little Richard, and Johnny Cash, there was Sister Rosetta Tharpe. The...