Bridges Instead of Walls: The Story of Mavis Staples
Legendary singer and Civil Rights activist Mavis Staples has teamed with an award-winning children's poet to share her rousing life story in this spectacular picture book, adapted for audio.

At 85, Mavis Staples is still singing in front of large audiences and sharing her message of love, faith, and justice. She's been performing since age eight as part of her family's gospel group The Staple Singers, and has become one of America's most admired musicians, with multiple Grammys, a Kennedy Center Honor, and a place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. But Mavis has been more than a thrilling singer; she has also stood alongside Martin Luther King, Jr., at numerous Civil Rights protests where her voice was a rallying cry to the country. Now she and acclaimed author Carole Boston Weatherford bring her story and her inspiring message to young people in this poetic audiobook.
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Bridges Instead of Walls: The Story of Mavis Staples
Legendary singer and Civil Rights activist Mavis Staples has teamed with an award-winning children's poet to share her rousing life story in this spectacular picture book, adapted for audio.

At 85, Mavis Staples is still singing in front of large audiences and sharing her message of love, faith, and justice. She's been performing since age eight as part of her family's gospel group The Staple Singers, and has become one of America's most admired musicians, with multiple Grammys, a Kennedy Center Honor, and a place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. But Mavis has been more than a thrilling singer; she has also stood alongside Martin Luther King, Jr., at numerous Civil Rights protests where her voice was a rallying cry to the country. Now she and acclaimed author Carole Boston Weatherford bring her story and her inspiring message to young people in this poetic audiobook.
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Bridges Instead of Walls: The Story of Mavis Staples

Bridges Instead of Walls: The Story of Mavis Staples

Unabridged — 28 minutes

Bridges Instead of Walls: The Story of Mavis Staples

Bridges Instead of Walls: The Story of Mavis Staples

Unabridged — 28 minutes

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Overview

Legendary singer and Civil Rights activist Mavis Staples has teamed with an award-winning children's poet to share her rousing life story in this spectacular picture book, adapted for audio.

At 85, Mavis Staples is still singing in front of large audiences and sharing her message of love, faith, and justice. She's been performing since age eight as part of her family's gospel group The Staple Singers, and has become one of America's most admired musicians, with multiple Grammys, a Kennedy Center Honor, and a place in the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame. But Mavis has been more than a thrilling singer; she has also stood alongside Martin Luther King, Jr., at numerous Civil Rights protests where her voice was a rallying cry to the country. Now she and acclaimed author Carole Boston Weatherford bring her story and her inspiring message to young people in this poetic audiobook.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

"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

OCTOBER 2024 - AudioFile

Singer and activist Mavis Staples brings her iconic, resonant voice to the narration of this audiobook, giving young listeners an unforgettable glimpse of her remarkable musical life. In a voice ringing with warmth, humor, and conviction, Staples describes her musical roots, which began with gospel and later branched out to soul, R&B, and more. The rich timbre of Staples's voice is enthralling, and the emotions she brings to her narration are palpable: pure joy at recalling her young, determined self; wonder at meetings with Martin Luther King, Elvis Presley, and Prince; and sorrow at the passing of family members. Adenrele Ojo capably narrates the supplemental materials, including a timeline and suggestions for further study. A tour de force, this is not to be missed. S.A.H. Winner of AudioFile Earphones Award © AudioFile 2024, Portland, Maine

Kirkus Reviews

2024-04-05
A resonant profile of the great singer and Civil Rights activist.

Cast in third person despite the lead-author credit, Staples’ tale goes back to the Great Migration, when Roebuck “Pops” Staples left Mound Bayou, Mississippi, for Chicago. There, he taught his four children to sing in harmony—with little Mavis standing on a chair to reach the microphone. They performed in churches, later broadening their repertoire as the Staple Singers to include “message music” for the Civil Rights Movement, then venturing into soul, R&B, and other styles. Gifted with “a voice as deep as a river / and as dusky as the night,” Mavis describes her musical growth in architectural terms, with family the “foundation,” Chicago’s South Side a “cornerstone,” and singers such as Mahalia Jackson “bronze pillars of living inspiration.” In the reverent illustrations, the singer grows to adulthood and then iconic elder amid swirls of musical notes and song titles, plus cameos of associated stars and celebrities from Lena Horne to Martin Luther King Jr., from Elvis to Prince, and from Barack Obama to Whodini and Ice Cube. On a more personal note, she closes with a statement of values: “Put your heart in anything you do. / Keep the faith.”

A moving look back at a long and storied career. (timeline, recommended films and recordings) (Picture-book biography. 7-9)

Product Details

BN ID: 2940159534095
Publisher: Penguin Random House
Publication date: 07/09/2024
Edition description: Unabridged
Age Range: 5 - 8 Years
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