Rise! is a magnificent brief biography of Maya Angelou for younger readers. It is poetically written and depicts the tumultuous childhood of a sensitive girl who suffered trauma, found solace in books, and healing from finding her voice. Rise! does a phenomenal job explaining the significance of her life and work and circuitous journey to activism and writing. I listened to the audiobook, deftly narrated by Cherise Boothe. Additionally, sound effects for each place are included, really helping the listener imagine her life. Angelou reading her poetry is included at the end along with a timeline of her life. If the gorgeous cover is any indication of the book's illustrations, it seems certainly an essential companion to the audiobook! A truly wonderful book!

Thank you Live Oak Media and NetGalley for providing this audiobook ARC.

This stunning picture book biography of Maya Angelou celebrates the poet's accomplishments for younger readers. Author Bethany Hegedus gently shares, but does not shy away from the hardships and trauma of Maya Angelou's life.
The book gives grown ups the opportunity to discuss important themes in Angelou's life and work, including child sexual abuse, racism, young motherhood, civil rights activism, and family relationship.

Most importantly, the book beautifully illustrates the power of words, stories, and one's own voice. It teaches young readers there is "no safety in silence", and provides a wonderful example of activism in the life of Maya Angelou.

The audiobook adds significant value to the picture book. It is atmospheric, lyrical, and includes clips from Angelou herself. Most notably, Cherise Boothe does a PHENOMENAL job with the narration! I highly encourage you to check it out.

Rise! is a wonderful biography of Maya Angelou, it is poetically written and depicts the tumultuous childhood of a young girl who suffered trauma, found solace in books, and healing from within. . Rise! does an amazing job explaining the significance of her work and long journey to activism and writing. I listened to the audiobook narrated by Cherise Boothe, . imagining her life. Angelou reading her poetry is included at the end along with a timeline of her life. This book should be a must read for all young people today, it has meaning, it has cause, it is filled with truth cushioned in love, reality and finding respect and then offered to others, wonderful just wonderful highly recommended..

Thank you to #NetGalley for the audio ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This a beautifully crafted lyrical text on the biography of Maya Angelou. This brief, but through biography informs, educates, and entertains the reader with the many paths discovered, explored, and mastered by Ms. Angelou through her lifetime. The narration of the audio book is enjoyable. I highly recommend this book.

This book takes an empathetic approach and gives bite size approaches and allows you to have kindness and patience with yourself when dealing with life. This is so necessary for everyone to read in life. Highly recommend. Especially loved the reflection to true life to humanize my feelings and relate. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

A captivating version of the life of Maya Angelou. Beautiful tale that shows the strength, power, and resilience of an amazing woman. Highly recommend for young readers (and listeners) through the more seasoned reader (and ears.)

My utmost gratitude to NetGalley for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Title: Rise! From Caged Birds to Poet of the People, Maya Angelou
Author: Bethany Hegedus
Illustrator: Alex Marley
Narrator: Cherise Boothe
Genre: Children’s Biography
Pages: 48

Rise! From Caged Bird to Poet of the People, Maya Angelou, is a children’s biography targeted at ages 7 to 10. It tells the story of Maya Angelou from birth to her death. It is available in hardback and audiobook formats. I listened to this book. I am a bit confused on release dates for this book. The audiobook is available now and the hardback has not been published. However, there is a 2019 version that is available in all formats – maybe a previous version?

The audiobook tells the incredibly rich history of Maya Angelou’s life from her childhood in Stamps to writing in the Harlem Writers Guild (also frequented by James Baldwin, Langston Hughes and many others) to working for MLK to speaking at Clinton’s Inauguration in 1993. The places she went and the people she met throughout her life are amazing.

I am embarrassed to say that I did not know much about Maya Angelou before reading this book and this was an excellent introduction. After listening to this book, I went and read more about her biography and found the telling of this children’s book to be an accurate and age appropriate.

The narrator had a beautiful voice that makes the prose sound like poetry. Even though this was only 31 minutes, I feel like I have a vivid picture of her story.

I would recommend this audiobook for all readers. For adults, unless you are well-versed in her biography, this is a great introduction to her incredible life. (Sometimes I find reading children’s non-fiction helps give me a good intro to a topic, so I’m not as intimidated by adult non-fiction.) This book is also great for children to learn the biography of an important black poet and author.

ARC provided to me by Publisher Spotlight Audio, via Net Galley, in exchange for an honest review.

#Rise #NetGalley

Wow! The power of the spoken word! Launching National Poetry Month with this beautiful audiobook biography of the "Poet of the People"-- Dr. Maya Angelou. This audiobook is a perfect compliment for the picture book. It dramatizes the story of Maya Angelou's life with background sound effects and even Angelou's own voice. The narrator's voice is strong and poetic. This overview of the well-known activist and how much she overcame will be a gateway for older readers; perhaps sparking a new interest in this fascinating woman's memoirs. I can't imagine a better tribute and celebration than this audiobook. The book ends with a timeline that brings awareness to all of Dr. Maya Angelou's accomplishments. Highly recommended for all libraries.

An honest and indepth look at the background of Maya Angelou. The audio version and narrator's performance really took the content to a deeper level. The text was beautifully crafted so that many details feel like a whole lifetime. Worth multiple reads and listens!!!

Maya Angelou has always been my favorite poet. She had a way with words that stopped me in my tracks. This picture book biography (audio version) by Bethany Hegesus is a beautiful testimony to her life. It is one I will purchase both audio and hard copy. It’s gorgeous! Two quotes stuck out, “There is no safety in silence!” And “Maya Angelou’s many books and her legacy of not just surviving but thriving, continue to give us all hope to rise again and again.” Maya was a champion for Civil Rights and for women. This biography showcases her and is a must read.

I received an ARC from NetGalley in exchange for this honest review

Bethany Hegedus’ beautifully illustrated story of Maya Angelou’s life is remarkably narrated, conveying the beauty of the text and the intensity of the story in an extraordinary audiobook. The fluid language and rhythmic text flow from Maya’s childhood into her adult life in all of its complexity. The narration is perfectly pitched and there are subtle background sounds (trains, music, applause) that enhance the story. The voice surges and sways, soars and softens, matching the words perfectly. This is a wonderful listening experience to be enjoyed again & again.

Beautifully narrated and a wonderful child appropriate look at Ms. Angelou's life and influence. I would definitely recommend this for anyone who loves her work.

Maya Angelou is best known as a poet and, within that, best known for the poem—and the line—“I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.” What few might know, however, is the personal experience that gave depth and nuance to Angelou’s famous poem. In Rise: From Caged Bird to Poet of the People, Bethany Hegedus pens a thoughtful, poetic tribute to Angelou and her history. Intended for children—perfect for elementary age—Rise contains beautiful illustrations by Tonya Engel and the lyrical cadence of spoken-word poetry that makes it something worth reading aloud.

I actually listened to the audiobook version of this book, then went back to a physical copy so that I could see it with the illustrations. The audio version is more than just a reading, but manages to capture the ethos of the work as a whole, using background sounds and music to bring the book to life, functioning as the “illustrations” of the audio version. In fact, the audio version as seen more acclaim than the print version, as a 2021 Audie finalist and the winner of AudioFile Earphones award.

Hegedus presents a simple biography of Angelou, working carefully through her life in a way that’s both accessible and appropriate to elementary aged children. Angelou experiences both racism and sexual abuse and Hegedus manages to write about those things in an oblique way that is appropriate for her age range without glossing over the injustices in Angelou’s life.

The back matter includes an extensive timeline, making this more than just a one-time read but a book perfect for elementary class projects. From beginning to end, Rise is the definitive introduction to Maya Angelou for young readers.

Thank you so much to net galley for sending me a copy of this book, it was so perfect and amazing for any reader, anyone will learn a ton of useful information!

Originally published in 1969, I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings was the first of Maya Angelou’s books to be published. Rise shares her story for young readers as a tribute, and introduction to young readers not familiar with her books or her importance in literature and poetry, as well as in Civil Rights, along with being an inspiration to others.

This is beautifully narrated by Cherise Boothe, and shares condensed highlights of Angelou’s story, her life as a writer, but also her life in her many other occupations through her life, a poet, author, activist, humanitarian, mother, dancer, among others. While I listened to the audiobook, there is also a hardcover picture book available, which young readers would both enjoy and appreciate. Angelou’s love of literature and poetry, her story of how her love of both reading and writing helped her navigate her traumatic childhood and become the phenomenal woman she was. Listening to her story will inspire readers to be both kinder to others and learn how to extend that kindness to themselves, as well. The power of words can have a profound impact for good, a lesson it is never too early to learn.

Recommended for readers age 7 - 10 years


Published: 20 Aug 2020


Many thanks for the ARC provided by Publisher Spotlight Audio / Live Oak Media

Beautifully narrated by Cherise Boothe, this young people’s bio of Maya Angelou is lovely! Rise! hits the highlights of Angelou’s life, capturing the girl for whom books were both “solace and safety,” who suffered childhood trauma so deep that it made her mute, who grew up to be a woman with a powerful voice that lifted many through her writings, spoken word, and activism. The theme "don’t just survive, thrive" sums up her life and is an inspiring message for young people. The snippets of Angelou reciting her own work, the foreword by her grandson, Colin Johnson, and the more detailed timeline provided in the addendum are great additions that give the curious listener/reader more avenues for exploration. This title is a must for every elementary and middle school library!

This is a beautiful summary of the life of Maya Angelou. Although Dr. Angelou's life was not easy, she worked to make a good life for herself and her child. She had many talents, was a gifted speaker and motivator, and she rose above all the obstacles in her life to become one of the most influential, African-American women in recent history. This audiobook was a quick summary of her extraordinary life and it does a fine job of giving a small glimpse into the struggles and successes of Dr. Angelou. I would highly recommend this audiobook as an introduction to learning more about Dr. Angelou and then move into her own works to get a complete understanding of what she offered to the world. She was a phenomenal woman.