Born in the Mississippi Delta, Riley B. King lived a childhood of sorrow and struggle. At a young age, and in short succession, his parents divorced and then his mother passed away. Before her death, his mama said “When you do good and treat folks right, good things will come to you.” Riley went on to live with his grandmother, plowing fields and chopping cotton in the segregated south. He went to school in a one-room school house, but the other children teased him for his patched-up overalls and bad stutter. Seeing his frown one day, his Aunt Mima introduced Riley to blues music on her record player, changing his life forever. Riley bought his first guitar at age 12, and taught himself how to play using a book he purchased from the Sears catalogue – finding that when he opened his mouth to sing, his stutter disappeared. He went on to work farming jobs during the day and playing the blues on street corners at night. Eventually, he made his way to Memphis and became the Blues Boy. The oil, acrylic, and collage illustrations are stunning – and feel like a warm quilt weaving together the journey of B.B King’s life. The book is complete with educational back matter, including a timeline, places to visit, recommended songs and albums, and suggested picture book pairings. This aspirational biography would be a lovely addition to any non-fiction picture book collection. Recommended for ages 5 to 8 (Kindergarten to 3^rd Grade). Nominated for Cream of the Crop.

Reviewed by: Jenn Mead, Charlotte Hobbs Memorial Library, Lovell