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Somebody to Love: The Story of Valerie June's Sweet Little Baby Banjolele
Grammy nominated musician Valerie June’s Somebody to Love: The Story of Valerie June's Sweet Little Baby Banjolele is a children’s book based on the story of how June wrote the song "Somebody to Love" from her album Pushin' Against a Stone. In the book, Valerie is a child given a toy banjolele. A banjolele is a very unique four-stringed musical instrument. It has a body like a small banjo, and the neck is like a ukulele. At the beginning, the baby banjolele dreams that its voice will soar and be heard all throughout the world, but very soon its musical journey meets with challenges and doubts. The little banjolele just could not play through a whole song! Valerie and banjolele want to play with the other instruments at school, but the others make fun of the banjolele saying " You're just a toy". Embarrassed the banjolele, once more, can not finish the song. But “I have a dream, and I want to sing,” the toy banjolele stubbornly refuses to give up. Finally, the toy finds the courage, and belief, and love it needs, coughs out a last bit of dust, and belts out a gorgeous a song. Valerie names the banjolele Baby and both go on to perform all over the world together forever. Valerie June the adult says of her banjolele: “As I traveled the world telling the story of my banjolele, I always knew it would make an uplifting children’s book. It wasn’t until I got a call from the President’s Committee on the Arts and the Humanities that I was encouraged to sit down and write it out. One of the nation’s most historical dreamers is Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. As a black female artist, his message taught me the power of dreams at an early age. He was a light for me. Each time I’ve shared this story with students, I watch as their eyes light up with wonder. It’s been thrilling to witness that same light awakening within them. Believing you can achieve your dream is a way to be an inspiration for your community, like a great Nigerian proverb teaches us, 'Thoughts and dreams are the foundation of our being.
- GenresPicture Books
52 pages, Hardcover
Published November 1, 2022
10 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 25, 2025
Somebody to Love is a hardcover children’s book from Grammy-nominated musician Valerie June with illustrations from the talented Mexican-born artist Marcela Avelar.
While children’s books aren’t what I typically read or review – when Wunderkind PR reached out to me about covering this book, I was intrigued – in part because the book works as a companion to Valerie June’s gorgeous song, “Somebody to Love” (from the album Pushin’ Against the Stone), and also because of the inspirational message for children (or anyone, really) about following your dreams and making a difference in the world.
That message is what we believe Romantic Living here at The Silver Petticoat Review is all about!
With stunning artwork from Marcela Avelar and an inspirational, poetic story from Valerie June, this is a unique children’s novel with an uplifting message.
After the main narrative, there are extra sections at the end about other dreamers who accomplished great things, from Martin Luther King Jr. to Frida Kahlo and more – while also going into more detail about believing in your dreams.
Overall, while I wanted the main story to be more fleshed out, I was impressed by the book and recommend it to music lovers, dreamers, and anyone looking for a lovely read for their children.
Overall Rating: 4
Disclosure: I received a free copy of the book from the publisher via Wunderkind PR. All opinions are my own.
While children’s books aren’t what I typically read or review – when Wunderkind PR reached out to me about covering this book, I was intrigued – in part because the book works as a companion to Valerie June’s gorgeous song, “Somebody to Love” (from the album Pushin’ Against the Stone), and also because of the inspirational message for children (or anyone, really) about following your dreams and making a difference in the world.
That message is what we believe Romantic Living here at The Silver Petticoat Review is all about!
With stunning artwork from Marcela Avelar and an inspirational, poetic story from Valerie June, this is a unique children’s novel with an uplifting message.
After the main narrative, there are extra sections at the end about other dreamers who accomplished great things, from Martin Luther King Jr. to Frida Kahlo and more – while also going into more detail about believing in your dreams.
Overall, while I wanted the main story to be more fleshed out, I was impressed by the book and recommend it to music lovers, dreamers, and anyone looking for a lovely read for their children.
Overall Rating: 4
Disclosure: I received a free copy of the book from the publisher via Wunderkind PR. All opinions are my own.
December 11, 2022
There are things that I liked about this book and things that didn’t quite work for me. First, the artwork is extremely well done and caught my attention immediately. The pictures are detailed and complement the story beautifully.
As for the story, I loved learning about the banjolele and all of the added information that was provided at the back of the book. But I had trouble with Valerie, the banjolele, and believing.
When Valerie received the banjolele it was so small that it was thought of as a toy. When being played with other instruments it couldn’t finish songs. In time, it was put away and ignored.
Years later, after gathering lots of dust it decides that it wants to play and sing beautiful music. But because it was dusty and can’t immediately perform, the adults laugh and try to decide whether to throw the banjolele in the trash.
But Valerie whispers for the stringed instrument to “believe” and voile . . .
"Growing afraid of being tossed out but also growing even bigger, braver because Valerie loved her, the toy finally coughed up the last bit of dust and belted out a GORGEOUS SONG."
This isn’t a gradual thing, but immediately the instrument performs beautifully. Valerie then makes the banjolele part of her traveling show.
My concern. Was the banjolele not believing and thus couldn’t play beautiful music? Shouldn’t Valerie have been the one playing? Didn't she lack confidence since she considered it small and more like a toy?
That's where the story lost me.
At the back of the book, which of course promotes believing in ourselves, is some interesting information about people who had dreams and believed. People such as Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and others are listed with a few sentences about them. There are proverbs that promote believing such as this one.
"Everyone who is successful, must have dreamed of something. — NATIVE AMERICAN PROVERB"
And of course, information is included about the four-stringed musical banjolele.
Final Thoughts
While I definitely found lots to like about this beautiful little book, the story itself fell short. And if I missed the point regarding the story, then I’m guessing others might, too.
However, the topic is one well worth sharing with children. And this book can certainly open up some good discussions.
If this one sentence in the book description would have been emphasized in the book, I would have given it 5 stars. “The banjolele dreamed of singing and playing but never could finish a song, until the instrument’s new friend Valerie believed it could.” Valerie, the person who played the instrument, had to do the believing. We don’t see Valerie playing. She just whispers to the banjolele.
My thanks to Wundkind PR and the publisher for a copy of the book and the ability to post my thoughts without any stipulations.
As for the story, I loved learning about the banjolele and all of the added information that was provided at the back of the book. But I had trouble with Valerie, the banjolele, and believing.
When Valerie received the banjolele it was so small that it was thought of as a toy. When being played with other instruments it couldn’t finish songs. In time, it was put away and ignored.
Years later, after gathering lots of dust it decides that it wants to play and sing beautiful music. But because it was dusty and can’t immediately perform, the adults laugh and try to decide whether to throw the banjolele in the trash.
But Valerie whispers for the stringed instrument to “believe” and voile . . .
"Growing afraid of being tossed out but also growing even bigger, braver because Valerie loved her, the toy finally coughed up the last bit of dust and belted out a GORGEOUS SONG."
This isn’t a gradual thing, but immediately the instrument performs beautifully. Valerie then makes the banjolele part of her traveling show.
My concern. Was the banjolele not believing and thus couldn’t play beautiful music? Shouldn’t Valerie have been the one playing? Didn't she lack confidence since she considered it small and more like a toy?
That's where the story lost me.
At the back of the book, which of course promotes believing in ourselves, is some interesting information about people who had dreams and believed. People such as Thomas Edison, Albert Einstein, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., and others are listed with a few sentences about them. There are proverbs that promote believing such as this one.
"Everyone who is successful, must have dreamed of something. — NATIVE AMERICAN PROVERB"
And of course, information is included about the four-stringed musical banjolele.
Final Thoughts
While I definitely found lots to like about this beautiful little book, the story itself fell short. And if I missed the point regarding the story, then I’m guessing others might, too.
However, the topic is one well worth sharing with children. And this book can certainly open up some good discussions.
If this one sentence in the book description would have been emphasized in the book, I would have given it 5 stars. “The banjolele dreamed of singing and playing but never could finish a song, until the instrument’s new friend Valerie believed it could.” Valerie, the person who played the instrument, had to do the believing. We don’t see Valerie playing. She just whispers to the banjolele.
My thanks to Wundkind PR and the publisher for a copy of the book and the ability to post my thoughts without any stipulations.
February 17, 2023
This review was originally written for The Baby Bookworm. Visit us for new picture books reviews daily!
Hello, friends! Our book today is Somebody to Love: The Story of Valerie June’s Sweet Little Baby Banjolele, written by Valerie June and illustrated by Marcela Avelar, a tale of fulfilling dreams and having faith in one’s voice.
For little Valerie’s birthday, she is given a most unusual “toy” instrument, a banjolele (a small, four-stringed combination of banjo and ukelele). The little banjolele makes the most delightful sounds, tings and rings that help it to sing. Valerie adores her new friend, and takes it to a musical meetup, but the banjolele is too nervous to finish the song. Placing the instrument in a corner, Valerie forgets about her friend for years, and goes on to become a traveling musician, as the banjolele gathers dust and becomes obscured from view. That is, until the night that the household awakes to a lonely song, one that the banjolele cannot help but sing any longer.
Ambitious yet confusing. June’s story is based on her real-life “Baby” Banjolele, which she anthropomorphizes here to tell a classic lesson in letting one’s voice be heard. It’s a message with perennial resonance, yet it gets bogged down here in the often-confusing storyline, where the passage of time, symbolic relationship between artist and instrument, and inconsistent characterization are a little too enigmatic to fully engage the reader. For instance, it’s hard to empathize with Valerie’s professed deep connection to the instrument when readers just watched it be placed in a corner, left alone and forgotten for years, especially since it is defined as sentient. The book’s strongest element are Avelar’s gorgeous, rich illustrations, which are stunning works of watercolor and graphite with pops of texture and pattern. The length is fine for a storytime, and JJ really enjoyed the art, but the uneven story and a jarring spelling error halfway through made reading aloud a little clunky. This one is a worth a look (and June’s beautiful song, “Somebody to Love,” is absolutely worth a listen!); even if the story is not to your taste, the remarkable artwork may be. Overall, Baby Bookworm approved.
(Note: A copy of this book was provided to The Baby Bookworm by a representative of the publisher in exchange for an honest review.)
Be sure to check out The Baby Bookworm for more reviews!
January 23, 2023
Creating music, much like every art form, takes patience and time. Sometimes the inspiration comes when you least expect it!
📖 Valerie June received a very special birthday gift. A beautiful round face with four young strings ready to strike a tune! A new best friend for Valerie June for she loved to sing. Practice as she may and try as she might, the little banjolele just couldn’t carry through a full song. Being mocked as a toy left her frustrated and sad, so Valerie June rests her baby banjolele in the corner.
📖 The days turn into weeks and the dust starts to collect but sweet little banjolele refuses to be forgotten! Waking everyone up in the middle of the night and clearing the dust from her strings, the baby banjolele belts out the sweetest of songs. Valerie June has finally realized the full potential of her banjolele and the two were never parted again.
📖 With lovely illustrations paired with an inspirational story, you and your little reader will enjoy sharing this story together!
📖 Valerie June received a very special birthday gift. A beautiful round face with four young strings ready to strike a tune! A new best friend for Valerie June for she loved to sing. Practice as she may and try as she might, the little banjolele just couldn’t carry through a full song. Being mocked as a toy left her frustrated and sad, so Valerie June rests her baby banjolele in the corner.
📖 The days turn into weeks and the dust starts to collect but sweet little banjolele refuses to be forgotten! Waking everyone up in the middle of the night and clearing the dust from her strings, the baby banjolele belts out the sweetest of songs. Valerie June has finally realized the full potential of her banjolele and the two were never parted again.
📖 With lovely illustrations paired with an inspirational story, you and your little reader will enjoy sharing this story together!
Want to read
September 9, 2022Note: I accessed a digital review copy of this book from the publisher through Edelweiss.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews