Part of the bestselling Little People, Big Dreams series, this picture book biography of musician Freddie Mercury is cheery and bright.
The story begins with Mercury’s birth in Zanzibar. We follow him growing up in India and England, developing his natural talent for singing, and forming the band Queen. “On stage, Freddie gave everyone goosebumps,” we learn.
Still, despite his fame, he felt that “the only ones who truly knew him were his first and only girlfriend and his cats”—until he met Jim, “and they were together forever after.” The illustration here shows Mercury at the piano, with Jim’s arm around him.
He was later told he had AIDS, “an illness that had taken many friends away.” He kept singing, however, even recording “The Show Must Go On” to say goodbye.
His music and his influence continue, however, “encouraging us to live a fabulous life.”
Backmatter includes a timeline, photographs of Mercury, and further details of his life and work.
A simple but solid biography and a rare picture book that includes any depiction of bisexuality (although the term is never used).
