Homeschooling has me thinking, every moment, about how to incorporate a handful of lessons/skill practice into one activity (even the tiniest, most mundane activities). Doing this when talking about Aretha was truly so natural.
This beautiful book, A Voice Named Aretha, by Katheryn Russell-Brown and illustrated by Laura Freeman had us talking about black history, which, while woven into many daily discussions, we’ve been focusing on more intentionally. This book had us talking about feminism, about music (oh, music, my love), about looking out for yourself. Did you know that Aretha would ask venues to pay her in advance, and leave her purse where she could see it while on stage? Her friends gave her the heads up that venues might try to cheat her.
In discussing after reading, our 6 year old wrote a sentence about one thought she had about the book. “Her music made people cry.” The page with an illustration of President Obama crying really stuck with her. And we listened to Aretha’s voice. And we danced.
Get yourself a copy. We’ve been utilizing our library curbside services lately, but should you want a copy to look at forever and ever, check the book out on Amazon (paid link).
And if you don’t have coloring materials that feature multicultural colors, get your littles a pack of these (also a paid link). A friend of mine had markers and crayons sent our way, and we’ve been using them so often.
