Blues Boy: The B. B. King Story
by Alice Faye Duncan; illus. by Carl Joe Williams
Primary    Greenwillow    40 pp.
1/26    9780063334021    $19.99

Riley B. King (1925–2015) was born in Mississippi, during the era of segregation. Life wasn’t easy for him: his mother died when he was nine, and he struggled with a stutter, which other children teased him about. But in church with his grandmother, gospel music brought him joy. When his aunt introduced him to the blues, he was reminded of those gospel hymns: “Blues singers…sang lyrics of deep despair. But the slow, sorrowful guitar music rocked Riley in the arms of bliss.” Later, as a member of a gospel quartet, he discovered that when he sang, his stutter disappeared. King eventually chased his musical dreams to Memphis. He purchased an electric guitar, named it Lucille, and took the stage name of Blues Boy; then, in 1951, as B. B. King, he produced a hit record that led to fame and fortune. A lyrical poem by Duncan opens the book, setting a poignant tone that mirrors the emotional depth of the blues, capturing its essence. Her assured prose throughout gently guides readers into the life of one of the genre’s most iconic figures. Through a rich interplay of soft and vibrant colors, expressive shapes, and soulful portraits, Williams’s art—crafted in oil and acrylic collage—amplifies the biography’s emotional resonance and brings King’s story vividly to life. Back matter includes a timeline, further information, and suggested picture-book readings.

From the January/February 2026 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.