Bridges Instead of Walls

“A resonant profile of the great singer and Civil Rights activist. A moving look back at a long and storied career.” —Kirkus Review

★ “This engaging picture-book biography offers especially rich insights into Mavis Staples of the legendary Staple Singers gospel group. The lyrical text includes lines from gospel classics and flows freely; the vivid illustrations aptly capture the closeness and passion of the Staples family. A fitting tribute to an inspiring legend.” —Booklist, starred review

“Staples’s love for herhometown Chicago and gospel music and dedication to civil rights recur throughout the book, while Walthall’s illustrations, employing portraiture and era-specific images, complement the direct narrative.” —Publishers Weekly

“The narrative is presented in rhyming lines, emphasizing the family’s humble beginnings faith convictions, Pops Staples as a patriarchal figure, and what it meant to be a part of a musical family touring the United States. The text is filled with vocabulary words in a descriptive, poetic rendition suited for mature readers who can understand the power of music in Black communities. The digital illustrations accentuate oversized human characters and infuse the background with musical figures and decorative white and rainbow waves to denote the presence of music throughout the book. The color palette comprises white and shades of blue, brown, and purple, transporting readers back in history as they accompany award-winning Staples on this biographical journey. An inspiring picture book forolder children who love biographies, for use in units covering the importance of music in the Civil RightsMovement.” —School Library Journal

Mavis Staples is one of the most admired musicians in the country. She holds multiple Grammy Awards including a Lifetime Achievement Grammy, is a Kennedy Center Honoree, and can be found in the Blues, Gospel, and Rock & Roll Halls of Fame. She and her family, The Staple Singers, were also known for their dedication to Civil Rights activism.

Carole Boston Weatherford is a two-time NAACP Image Award winner and the author of Unspeakable, which won the Coretta Scott King Award, a Sibert Honor and was a National Book Award Finalist; the Newbery Honor book Box; and the New York Times Bestseller Moses. Born in Baltimore, Maryland, she now teaches at Fayetteville State University in North Carolina.

Steffi Walthall is an illustrator and character designer born and raised in Virginia. She received her BFA in Game Development from the Savannah College of Art & Design and has illustrated several previous picture books, including Ain’t Gonna Let Nobody Turn Me ‘Round.

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