Kiki Finds Her Voice

"Kiki Finds Her Voice" by Kierra Sheard-Kelly deserves a solid 5-star rating. This heartwarming and empowering picture book beautifully conveys an essential message for children about staying true to themselves and embracing their God-given gifts.

The illustrations in this book are simply outstanding, capturing the essence of the story with vivid and engaging visuals that draw young readers into Kiki's world. The combination of the written narrative and the artistic interpretation is truly on point.

The story itself, based on a true experience from the life of Grammy-nominated singer and actress Kierra Sheard-Kelly, is both relatable and inspirational. It tackles the challenges that children often face in wanting to fit in and make friends while remaining authentic to their values and beliefs. Kiki's journey teaches kids the valuable lesson of standing up to peer pressure and staying true to themselves.

This book is not just a story about peer pressure; it also encourages children to embrace their uniqueness and love what makes them special. It demonstrates how faith can play a significant role in their everyday lives and decisions, making it an excellent resource for character development and faith building.

This book is versatile, making it an ideal gift for various occasions, including birthdays, back-to-school, Christmas, and holidays. It's perfect for bedtime and storytime reading, offering valuable lessons while entertaining young readers. "Kiki Finds Her Voice" is a must-read for parents and educators who want to instill confidence, character, and faith in the young hearts and minds of children. It's a five-star book that truly stands out in its ability to inspire and empower.

Kiki Finds her Voice is about a Christian girl who wants to fit in. She decides to sing a song with some popular girls for the talent show, but her parents convince her to sing a song that's more appropriate for herself. She chooses an inspirational song that is more suited to her faith and to who she is, and she knocks it out of the park! This is a wonderful story to show kids that they should be confident in who they are. Stand up and stand out! Wonderful illustrations and wonderful message. ❤️

Thanks Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to review this advanced review copy (ARC) in exchange for my honest review on the book!

Kiki is a young girl that loves to sing. She enters a talent competition with her three new friends singing a romance song and is accepted. Her mother finds out and is less-than-thrilled about the choice of song and tells Kiki that she's not allowed to sing it, and should instead choose a song from church. Kiki feels very upset because she feels like she has a very hard time fitting in already and that this will only increase the gap between her and the other girls. Her parents explain to her that she should not have to compromise her beliefs to make friends and that by being true to herself and her belief in God, she will always persevere.

This is a wonderfully illustrated book that features a main character that is both a person of color as well as a plus-sized person. I feel the representation is very important for children so they can either see a character they can relate to or if not, have a more normalized view of the diverse sizes and colors that all people can come in. The book carries a religious overtone, but I feel that even if a person is not Christian, they can still enjoy the story in the book and the message to children to always be themselves.

Kiki Finds Her Voice tells the story of Kiki as she decides to share her passion for church and god in her school's talent show after being told by her parents she cannot sing a song with her friends about love. I really enjoyed this book and the overall message of being true to yourself and your passions.
The illustrations throughout this book are gorgeous and I loved the different characteristics held by each individual.

The illustrations in this amazing story are beautiful! The story was well paced and there were not too many words per page. It is a great story time or bedtime book.