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Bill Withers’s classic anthem to friendship lives on in this moving children’s picture book adaptation

“Lean on me
When you’re not strong
And I’ll be your friend
I’ll help you carry on . . .”

Lean on Me is an endearing children’s picture book that beautifully demonstrates the power of friendship, based on Bill Withers’s classic song of the same name. “Lean on Me” appeared on Withers’s 1972 albumStill Bill. The song reached #1 on theBillboardHot 100 chart and ranked #208 onRolling Stone’s“500 Greatest Songs of All Time” list.

With Withers’s lyrics and illustrations by Rachel Moss, this picture book follows four close friends through the stages of their childhood, from elementary school until their high school graduation. Withers’s classic and loving refrain serenades them as they lean arm-in-arm into adulthood.

Bill Withers(1938-2020) was an American singer-songwriter and musician. He is known for such hit songs as “Ain’t No Sunshine,” “Grandma’s Hands,” “Use Me,” “Lean on Me,” “Lovely Day,” “Just the Two of Us,” and more. He received numerous awards in his lifetime, including three Grammy Awards. Withers was inducted into the Songwriters Hall of Fame in 2005 and into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame in 2015.

Rachel Mossis an illustrator in love with the bright colors and vibrant energy of the Caribbean. She was born in Jamaica and studied animation in England at the University for the Creative Arts. Moss now lives in Jamaica where she spends her days illustrating children’s books such asRespectwith song lyrics by Otis Redding, These Boots Are Made for Walkin‘ with song lyrics by Lee Hazlewood,Africanwith song lyrics by Peter Tosh,I Am a Promiseby Shelly Ann Fraser Pryce,Abigail’s Glorious Hair, andMilo & Myra Learn Manners with Mr. Mongoose.

• Publisher: Akashic Books (August 1, 2023)
• Language: English
• Hardcover: 24 pages
• ISBN-10: 1636141099
• ISBN-13: 9781636141091
• Reading age: Baby – 7 years
• Item Weight: 10.6 ounces
• Dimensions: 8.25 x 0.32 x 8.25 inches