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"Valerie June Hockett is a Grammy nominated singer, songwriter, and multi- instrumentalist from Tennessee. She's been published in the New York Times, which has also hailed her as one of America's ""most intriguing, fully formed new talents."" She has recorded four critically acclaimed, best-selling solo albums and has also written songs for legendary artists such as Mavis Staples and The Blind Boys of Alabama. June has performed onThe Tonight Show,The Late Show,Austin City Limits,Rachael Ray, andCBS Saturday Morning, and graced some of the world's most prestigious stages, from Carnegie Hall to the Kennedy Center. She's part of the Turnaround Artsprogram originally started by First Lady Michelle Obama and nowa program of the Kennedy Center. Also a poet, her first collection Maps for the Modern World was published in April 2021 by Andrews McMeel Publishing. When she's not touring, June splits her time between Tennessee and New York. Marcela Avelar is a Mexican-born artist based in New York City. She is an active partner at Menage-a-Trois Design Agency as well as the founder of a not-for-profit digital art collective called The Artruist. Her work can be seen in advertisements as well as album covers for musicians like Special K, Aloysius 3, So Brown, Wes Hutchinson and 9 time Grammy Award winner Norah Jones. She also designed the stage for Norah Jones' 2017 Day Breaks World Tour. In 2018, Marcela's artwork was part of an exhibit in New Paltz, NY celebrating Mexican Women Artists. Currently, she is in collaboration with a Mexico based developer to create unique designs for tiles and textiles."
Valerie June is a beacon of creativity + positivity in music, and this book shimmers with that same fierce light. These beautiful words + pictures will inspire kids (and parents) to follow their muse + not give up! — Anaïs Mitchell, Tony Award Winning Playwright This is a lovely story, as it teaches everyone young and old the meaning of courage.— Woven From Words Even the smallest voice deserves to be heard. “Somebody to Love” encourages us to believe in ourselves and the remarkable power of our dreams. — Amanda Lucidon, NYT Bestselling Author and Former Obama White House Photographer Colorful, musical, and dreamy. — Book Bunnies Blog An inspiring tale – with brightly colored, vivid images covering each page – about finding your voice and having the confidence to dream big. — Rebellious Magazine When Valerie June arrived, she ignited conversations for the daring — Pitchfork Valerie June has built a devoted following by ignoring expectations. She is simultaneously rural and cosmopolitan, historically minded and contemporary, idiosyncratic and fashionable, mystical and down-to-earth. — New York Times A precious reminder of the importance of music. — Dom Flemons, Grammy Award-winning musician In a world that asks us all to fire up our imaginations, Somebody to Love gives us all a sense of life’s best possibilities. — Dan and Claudia Zanes, Grammy Award-winning children's book authors and musicians This is a wonderful inspirational story.— Sonia Outlaw-Clark, Center Director of West Tennessee Delta Heritage Center We love that this picture book has a mission statement and an inspiring story. The illustrations are amazing to view while reading. — Source Booksellers This book will draw your child into the pages with an engaging story that will have them singing along. The illustrations are vibrant and helps the story to come to life. — @diveintoagoodbook I have an amazing author with a wonderful children’s book for you to discover…Thank you, Valerie, for sharing about your awesome book! I wish you all the best as it continues to gain momentum. May it bless all who read it! And what a wonderful artist that you have paired with as well! You two make a great team. — Wanda Luthman, book blogger and children’s book author
