The Green Piano: How Little Me Found Music

by Roberta Flack, Tonya Bolden, Hayden Goodman (Illustrator)

This autobiographical picture book by the multiple Grammy Award-winning singer Roberta Flack recounts her childhood in a home surrounded by music and it all started with a beat-up piano that her father found in a junkyard, repaired, and painted green.

Growing up in a Blue Ridge mountain town, little Roberta didn't have fancy clothes or expensive toys...but she did have music. And she dreamed of having her own piano.

When her daddy spies an old, beat-up upright piano in a junkyard, he knows he can make his daughter's dream come true. He brings it home, cleans and tunes it, and paints it a grassy green. And soon the little girl has an instrument to practice on, and a new dream to reach for--one that will make her become a legend in the music industry.

Here is a lyrical picture book--perfect for aspiring piano players and singers--that shares an intimate look at Roberta Flack's family and her special connection to music.

Genres: Picture Books, Biography, Music, Nonfiction, African American, Childrens, History

40 pages, Hardcover

Published January 10, 2023

About the author

Roberta Cleopatra Flack was an American singer and pianist known for her emotive, genre-blending ballads that spanned R&B, jazz, folk, and pop and contributed to the birth of quiet storm. Her commercial success included the Billboard Hot 100 chart-topping singles "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face", "Killing Me Softly with His Song" and "Feel Like Makin' Love". She became the first artist to win the Grammy Award for Record of the Year in consecutive years.
Flack frequently collaborated with Donny Hathaway, with whom she recorded several hit duets, including "Where Is the Love" and "The Closer I Get to You". As one of the defining voices of 1970s popular music, she remained active in the industry, later finding success with duets such as "Tonight, I Celebrate My Love" with Peabo Bryson (1983) and "Set the Night to Music" with Maxi Priest (1991). Across her decades-long career, she interpreted works by songwriters such as Leonard Cohen and members of the Beatles. In 2020, Flack received the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award.

Reviews

[Laura]

Growing up with Roberta Flack’s music in the early 70’s this book was a real joy to read . My beloved Grandfather was much like Roberta’s father going to the dump to breathe new life into objects and making music with friends and family throughout his life. This book brought back personal memories for me and the joy of music I have had in my own life .

The other day I was listening to Roberta’s beautiful voice with my Mom just getting lost in the pure beauty of it .
This book is wonderful for all kids to read who dream to have something of their own and something no one can take away from them …the fuel of their spirit .

[Wren]

Children can witness to the power of music in the life of a young person by reading this autobiography penned by Roberta Flack (b. 1937; turned 86 in 2023) with help by Tonya Bolden. It's illustrated by Hayden Goodman.

Children will not be drawn to a story about an artist they may not know; however, they might identify with a child who had a passion for something but scant resources to explore that passion. Children are invited to be inspired by her focus, talent, and perseverance combined with the resources provided by various adults in her life (chiefly her parents).

This book seems ideal for children 9 to 11. If I were a music teacher in elementary school, I'd add this to the class library or ask the school librarian to have it around. If I were a piano teacher, I could put this book in the foyer where the youngest students wait for the previous student to finish their lesson.

Here is a simple overview of the story:

Roberta was drawn to music at a young age. Her father played the harmonica, and her mother played the piano and organ, but only at their local church because the family did not have these keyboard instruments at home in North Carolina.

Roberta played piano at church starting at age three--the best that a child could do at that age and without lessons or a piano at home. She later took lessons.

After moving to Virginia, she finally got a piano of her own after her father restored one he found in a DC junkyard. Obviously, her father painted it GREEN. This allowed Roberta to play to her heart's content, which led to her playing for hours each day. She also took lessons from a well-respected teacher.

The ratio between images and text averages about 90 percent of the space to image and 10 percent to text. The text is presented in about 12 point font and in single sentences or small paragraphs--easily digestible bites.

The backmatter includes the following:

1. Author's Notes: Flack fleshes out more detail about her childhood and her relationship to music. There are two photographs of her as a child and one from 1971 when she was most active as a recording artist / live music performer and selling the most records.

2. Career Highlights are listed in a timeline.

3. Acknowledgments to those who helped her create this book, including her parents.

[Amy Hesterman]

Kids won’t recognize the name of Roberta Flack, but they will certainly understand what it is like to have a dream in your heart and long for it to come to a reality. It is also a wonderful example of parents creatively supporting a child’s dream even when they don’t necessarily have the means to do it.

[Rachel]

A story about how Roberta Flack loved music as a child, learned to play piano and about how her father found a piano from a dump and fixed it up. I feel like the author’s note, about how she tried singing opera, she was told her voice was better for pop, how she refound her voice, and how her singing has moved people, would have added more to the story about her resilience.

[Kim Novak (The Reading Rx)]

I had to read an autobiography of a woman in rock music, and nothing was catching me eye. Come on Lita Ford or Joan Jett… help a girl out and write your books, lol. Then I can across this book by Roberta Flack… I didn’t know much about her but remembered my parents talking about how she married someone they grew up with. So, The Green Piano it was! Intended for children, this book highlights how Roberta got involved in music as a child and worked hard to find her voice and a place in the music industry she was successful at. I loved the focus on work ethic, practice, studying, and persistence… all great qualities to nourish throughout life.

[Barbara]

This picture book autobiography is a 3.5 for me. While it may have more appeal for adults or the parents and grandparents of youngsters who are reading or hearing it since they'll surely be familiar with the piercing vocals of the subject's classic songs, "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" and "Killing Me Softly with His Song," the idea of dreaming of something that seems unattainable will surely resonate with them as will the notion of working hard and finding their voice. In many respects a tribute to her parents, this story describes Roberta Flack's music-filled childhood in North Carolina with a father who played the piano and harmonica and a mother who played the church organ and piano. The family was not well off, and Roberta had no "richy-rich" (unpaged) possessions. But she learned to play the piano at a very young age, tapping out notes everywhere she went but without having a piano of her own. After the family moved to Washington, DC, her father spotted a discarded piano in a junkyard, brought it home for Roberta, and then painstakingly restored it, even painting it green. Finally, Roberta could imagine even bigger dreams, possibly even a musical career, as she practiced and honed her skills. The importance of persistence and seeing the possibilities when others are unable to do so are particularly salient in this touching story. The back matter includes an Author's Note, Flack's career highlights, and acknowledgements. The illustrations, created with gouache and digital finishing touches, consist of swirling movement and sweeping scenes as well as more intimate ones, some of which are more effective than others. Still, this is an example of determination, seeing ahead to the future, and familial support. Naturally, I had to head online to listen to the vocal renderings of the musician herself.

[Peacegal]

Many of us instantly recognize her biggest hit songs, but Roberta Flack's story starts with a green piano, rescued from a junkyard and lovingly restored. Adults will learn just as much from this uplifting story as kids.

[Eleanor Darcy]

Absolutely beautiful

[Hinnah Khan]

Sweet, concise book which illustrates the beginning of Roberta Flack’s journey in the musical realm.

[Katt Hansen]

A beat up piano found in a junkyard and painted green can change absolutely everything.

I love picture book biographies which introduce us to interesting people we wouldn't read about otherwise. I didn't even know who Roberta Flack was before reading this book. Now I'm interested in finding out more about her. What an amazing beginning - and how different her life became from one small act by her father.

Inspiring, moving, and definitely interesting this is a story to share with your kids along with a soundtrack. I would suggest loading up a few songs to enjoy after reading this book. Maybe "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face" is a lovely rendition easily found on Youtube.

[Connie T.]

Even if you've never heard of Roberta Flack, this is a sweet picture book biography about a girl who follows her dreams. The author's note and career highlights further flesh out Flack's life.

[Colette]

“Practice relentlessly, find your voice” great little book about a great voice of the ages.

[Jill]

The charmingly-told story of what inspired Roberta Flack, a five-time grammy Award winner, begins:

"Little me, in my Blue Ridge Mountain town
of Asheville, North Carolina,
living on a street named Velvet,
then on one named Circle,
I didn’t have fancy-fine clothes,
high-priced toys, or other richy-rich
things.

But I had music.

My treasure.
My gold.”

During the time she was growing up, her father taught himself to play piano and harmonica, and her mother also played the piano as well as the organ at church. Roberta dreamed of having her own piano.

Then, “Older me, age six, started taking piano lessons…”

The family moved to Arlington, Virginia, close to D.C., to “a home where Mother, Daddy, neighbors, friends made music together.” Roberta still dreamed of having a piano of her own.

One day driving by a junkyard, her daddy spied a piano, “something he just knew would make nine-year-old me burst into a thousand smiles.”

It was a small upright piano. It was all beat up, but her daddy brought it home and put his all into fixing it up. He worked and worked on it, and then painted it a grassy green.

The minute the paint was dry, Roberta started playing. She practiced for hours and hours, teaching herself to play songs, and taking piano lessons again. Soon she started singing along to the music, and then got an even bigger dream - “of a life all wrapped up in the majesty, the magic of music - my treasure, my gold.” And “Grown-up me lived this dream! Year after year after year!”

An NPR story recounted:

“When she was just 15 years old, Flack received a full music scholarship to Howard University. In the early 1960s, she was teaching in public schools by day and moonlighting as a singer and pianist by night. But by the end of the decade, she had to quit the classroom. Her soulful, intimate recordings were selling millions of albums around the world. With international touring and recording, music became a full-time career.”

But along the way, she reports in this book, she never forgot:



“the joy,
the miracle,
the wonder,
the blessing
of
my
green piano.”

The book ends with an Author’s Note which includes fascinating biographical information, a delineation of career highlights, and a touching list of acknowledgments, including thanks to her mother for believing in her and to her father “for my first piano - for all that it took to get it, move it, paint it, tune it - the start of my true life in music.” Adult fans (has it really been 50 years since the release of her classic hit, “Killing Me Softly with His Song” ??!!) will especially enjoy these additional details of her journey.

Illustrations by Hayden Goodman are done in gouache paintings, with some finishing details rendered digitally. The artwork ably conveys the joy that infused little Roberta’s heart from music.

Evaluation: Readers aged 6 and up will no doubt love the way this story is told in the excited voice of a little girl, although written by a grown-up mega star who is now 85 years old. She has been diagnosed with ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis), a neurological disease that has rendered her unable to sing or even speak. But before that, she made sure her story got out for kids to read, along with her advice, as she says in her note, to “Find your own 'green piano' and practice relentlessly until you find your voice, and a way to put that beautiful music into the world."

[Roben]

This is a picture book biography describing Roberta Flack's love of music and rise to fame. When she was very young - three or four years old - she began playing the piano in church. She couldn't reach the black keys with her fingers so she used her elbows! Try that - it's not easy. She played by ear at first. Then she took lessons when she was six. But the family moved to Virginia. She still sang and played - her family loved music and people were always coming over to play music and sing. But she didn't have a piano of her own - which she wanted more than anything. Finally, her father found a piano in a junkyard and brought it home. He cleaned it up, refinished it, tuned it, and painted it green. Roberta finally had her piano. She played and played - devoting herself to music. Once again, she took lessons. She initially wanted to play classical music on a concert stage. Or be an opera singer. But eventually decided to become a pop singer. She had worked in a restaurant and the owner let her sing in his club. At first it was just a few nights but soon it was every night, three performances a night. She even had her own room - Roberta's Room. Soon she recorded an album and became even more popular. She used her money to help give back to the community; to aid other kids who wanted to become singers. But she never forgot her green piano.
As she says, "I decided to tell this story about my green piano because I want all the young people who have ever felt marginalized, overwhelmed, bullied, or discriminated against to know that they can make their dreams come true. Find your own 'green piano' and practice relentlessly until you find your voice, and a way to put that beautiful music into the world."
I liked that this book emphasized how hard Roberta worked to improve her talent. The book does not talk about the prejudice or discrimination she faced growing up - just on her love of music and the encouragement from family and friends.

[Becky]

First sentence: Little me, in my Blue Ridge Mountain town
of Asheville, North Carolina,
living on a street named Velvet,
then on one named Circle,
didn't have fancy-fine clothes,
high-priced toys,
or other richy-rich
things.
But I had music.
My treasure.
My gold.

Premise/plot: The Green Piano is a picture book autobiography of Roberta Flack--particularly her formative childhood years. The book focuses on Roberta Flack's love of music. It tells the story of how her father brought home a piano from a junkyard and painted it green. This gift of love was also a gift of music. (Though music was VERY important to Roberta, to the whole family, to the community, before this gift.)

The biography is written in free verse. 

My thoughts: Some books are written in verse and you don't know exactly why. It makes a lot of sense that a book about music would be written in verse. On the surface, it makes perfect sense, like it would be a great fit. Lyrics often are poetry. (Though perhaps not all lyrics?) However, I found the verse to lack a little magic. To me the verses just lacked rhythm and that certain spark that makes verse work well. The text didn't "sing" to me. Prose can sing--and sometimes does sing--poetry is expected to sing more often than not. 

I wanted to really love this one. Roberta Flack's music is something that I generally enjoy. (I do have favorites. I am familiar with her music.) The text is weaker than I would have expected. The illustrations, however, are more my cup of tea. There are spreads that I absolutely loved.

[Sunday]

Several reviewers have commented that since many children don't know who Roberta Flack is, they might only resonate with the themes in the book and not necessarily with Flack as a historical figure. True and there's value in that. My recommendation would be to play some audio of her singing throughout the school day so students become familiar with her voice. Then read aloud the book.

On READING ALOUD this book, I'd rehearse first. It's written in a song verse style but a style that doesn't (to me) feel lyrical. It's more about being intentional with where you pause (at just the right moments for emphasis) and phrasing in particular ways.

I'd also recommend making this part of a TEXT SET ABOUT FEMALE SINGERS. This book would partner well with
*Dazzlin' Dolly: The Songwriting, Hit-Singing, Guitar-Picking Dolly Parton by Suzanne Slade & Edwin Fotheringham. Slade's writing has little more rhythm and might be easier to read as an introduction to female performers
*Rock, Rosetta, Rock! Roll, Rosetta, Roll! Presenting Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Godmother of Rock & Roll also by Tonya Bolden, illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. Bolden's writing is lyrical and the Christie's illustrations are engaging.

[Carol V]

The Green Piano is an autobiography, written by Roberta Flack! By writing this story, Roberta looks back on her early life, how she set goals, and how she worked hard to achieve these goals. This book's intent is to inspire our youth to set goals. Roberta, with writing partner Tonya Bolden, has done this well!

As a little girl, she grew up in a loving family with the appreciation of music all around her. Her daddy found an old piano in a junk pile. He turned this into a beautiful green piano for Roberta when she was very young. As she grew up to be a Grammy award-winning musician, she say she never forgot the joy, the miracle, the wonder, and the blessing of her green piano.

This book is illustrated by Hayden Goodman. The shades of green on the pages seem to encourage readers to GO forward and work hard to achieve their dreams. Swirls on many pages bring the sounds of her music aloud.

The after matter in this book is informative about Roberta Flack's life and career. For a short while, she was a music teacher. Imagine having Roberta Flack as your teacher!

[Calista]

A great story about the life of Roberta Flack who sang "Killing me Softly". This is her story.

She loved music. She dreamed about it night and day. She loved her piano and she eventually loved to sing. She dreamed of being a classical concert pianist and she loved opera. But her first love was her green piano.

Her dad found her first piano in the dump, broken and smelly. They brought it home, cleaned it up and fixed it up and Roberta was on her way.

The artwork is cozy and bright. We see the community and coziness of a tight-knit family. The artwork does all this for us. Finding the piano at the dump was good artwork too. The piano looms larger than life in many drawings and that works well.


A great story about a great artist.

[✨️ Louise Allen ✨️]

This is a lyrical, inspiring picture book about family love and musical destiny. It follows a young girl whose father rescues a junkyard piano and paints it a vibrant green, sparking a lifelong passion. It beautifully shows how early dedication and imagination can build an extraordinary life.

Through this book it brings a delightful revelation: I learned that "Killing Me Softly"-a track I absolutely adored as a teenager when The Fugees covered it-was originally Flack's song. Tracing back to the girl practicing at that green piano, is a masterpiece is a beautiful bridge across musical generations.Makes me wish I had continued my piano lessons. I loved the fill of the keys under my fingers. Never give up. The world needs music.
♥️✨️🎼

[Read Ribbet]

This autobiographical picture book by award winning singer Roberta Flack tells her personal story of how an abandoned piano is brought home by her father, refurbished and painted green, so that a young Roberta Flack can pursue her dream of being a piano player. The story tells how she pursued singing along the way being guided toward pop music where she eventually found success. This isa great book for fans of Roberta Flack and an inspirational text for any reader in need of encouragement for pursuing their dreams. The end author note contains more information about Flack's life including a timeline of her career highlights.

[Delaney Fischer]

I felt that this story was absolutely lovely! I thought it was interesting that the author talked about how the family didn't have much money and the parents sometimes went from job to job, but the love they had for one another never faded. I loved how Roberta described her love of music at such a young age.

I would use this book to teach my students to dream big. Roberta loved hearing her mother and father play music had had a dream that she would someday play just like them. She practiced even without the piano. I want my students to dream as big as they can and learn to devote their time to the things that make them happy.

[Rachel Bower]

This story is about a girl who grew up poor and loved music, she dreamed of having a piano of her own for so long when her dad came home one day and suprised them with an old torn up stinky piano from the junkyard. Her parents fixed the piano and painted it green and she finally had her own piano. She continued learning and practicing and growing, playing her piano all the time. I really liked this story and the illustrations showing how they lived. I think this would be a very good book for my classroom becasue it teaches that you do not have to have the best/nicest things, to be able to practice and be good at something if you put your mind to it.

[Bridget]

I picked this up thinking it was published in Spring 2023 (after a Google search. I guess I should've double checked). I'm trying to tick off some more of the Popsugar Reading challenges with some easier to get through books & I do like Roberta Flack. Grew up hearing her music so it was a nostalgia thing for me. It's frustrating that I didn't get to tick off the reading challenge (book published in January 2023) but glad I was able to read it anyway. I'd suggest you get this in the actual physical book because through ebook (even on my kindle), the words were extremely tiny.

[Sadie-Jane Huff]

Book 116 of 300 ~ 2024

🌟🌟🌟

What an insightful story about Ms Flack. Wildly talented from a tender age, her story is one to inspire.

Her long list of accolades as well as charitable deeds is amazing too.

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[Begad Farid]

How Little Me Found Music The living jazz/soul singing legend crafted a mesmerizing memoir about how she discovered her love for music. What's remarkable about this book is the fact that biographies are usually less entertaining reading choices for adults, let alone children. Yet, her writing was simple and inspiring to follow one's dreams and never give up to both children and grown-ups alike. The heartfelt parental support can also be felt through her story and how a piano from a junkyard was recycled and given a new life. Great read overall.

[karenbee]

This is a very sweet book, but it felt like it jumped from major event to major event in Flack's life/musical career without details that would have made the story more accessible. That might be an unfair criticism, because it IS a picture book. I just felt like it was missing something.

Good notes at the end—they help fill in the gaps for the adult reader, but I don't know how much difference they'd make for the book's intended audience, who probably wouldn't read beyond the main story.


(three and a half stars)

[Nicole Miller]

Growing up, Roberta didn't have a lot of things but she did have love and music. When her father finds a beat-up piano at the junkyard, he brings it home, fixes it, and paints it green. This act of love from a father starts Roberta on a journey to becoming the five-time Grammy winner she is today. This inspiring book to follow your dreams and encourage your children is a wonderful biography on a wonderful musician and the love her father.

[Aneesah]

My baby cousin read this to me this morning via a video message and I actually enjoyed it quite a lot. I love Roberta Flack and it was interesting to learn that we had a somewhat similar journey into music (my 1st piano was also an old one —a gutted player piano—that my father “rescued” from the scrap heap) although hers has been a bit more lucrative than mine, haha. Yes this is a children’s picture book but I’m totally gonna count it toward my reading goal. Sue me.

[SerenaBeReading]

A beautifully illustrated picture book about THE Roberta Flack's green piano that her father found in a junkyard when she was a little girl. It also talks about her pursuing her music career. At the end is an author's note going into more detail about her career. I just have to say I'm so glad Mr. Wilkerson told her she had a better voice for pop music than opera. Roberta Flack has given us so many timeless hits.

[Ellon]

4 stars (I really liked it)

Sometimes celebrity books can be pretty awful but they get published because of the name. This is not the case here. I have to admit, I didn't really know much about Roberta Flack before reading this. I googled her to see if I recognized any of the song and was excited to see she is the artist behind "Killing Me Softly." But even if you do not know her and her career, the book is a great love letter to music and families.