The Green Piano: How Little Me Found Music, written by Roberta Flack with Tonya Bolden, and illustrated by Hayden Goodman. Anne Schwartz Books, Penguin Random House, 2023. $25.99 ages 6 and up

"Dreamed of my own piano when I tap-tap-tapped
out tunes 
             on tabletops,
                      windowsills. 

Dreamed of that piano when, 
with my slight voice, 
I sailed into sing-alongs
with big sister Nancy, 
with little sister LaRene."

I knew next to nothing about Roberta Flack's life. I did know her music, and am happy to know so much more about her after reading her lively picture book that tells the story of her life. While the family didn't have much in terms of fancy things, they had music. That music brought great joy. 

Roberta's father taught himself to play the piano and harmonica; her mother took lessons as a child and played the organ at church. A very young Roberta played the piano at church when she couldn't even reach all the keys. What she really wanted was a piano to call her own. It was an endless dream for a musical child. As she grew older, she took piano lessons. 

A family move from North Carolina to Virginia did nothing to dampen that love for music or the dream of having a piano of her own one day. On a visit to Washington DC, her father spotted an old, dilapidated upright piano in the junkyard. He knew it would be perfect for now nine-year-old Roberta. With help, he hauled it home. 

Hard work, patience, and skill went into refurbishing it. Daddy and Mother cleaned it, tuned it, and painted it a 'grassy green'. 

"Gently, I touched the keys, 
my green piano
already a part of me, 
notes flowing through my fingers
to my body, 
to my soul."

Teaching herself, taking lessons again, and endless practice soon had Roberta singing in a strong, rich voice. Now, with a bigger dream than ever before ... a life of making music and entertaining others. Despite her great success, she never ever forgot that green piano. 

Ms. Goodman fills the book's pages with mixed-media artwork that is joyful, and filled with the love of family and music. In back matter, readers learn more about Roberta's life and career and her wish to give back through the Roberta Flack School of Music. It offers free music education to elementary and middle years students, and the Roberta Flack Foundation devoted to helping even more children - especially girls of color. A timeline offers highlights from her remarkable career.