An unusual honor for Prince: Subject of new Little Golden Book for kids

In recent years, Prince has been saluted with a two-hour Grammy-sponsored TV special, a three-hour Broadway-bound musical and a 10-story-tall mural in downtown Minneapolis. Now comes a new — and totally unexpected — honor, a Little Golden Book biography.

Yes, one of those Little Golden Books with lots of illustrations and an easy-to-understand story, like “The Poky Little Puppy” and “The Jolly Barnyard.”

Nikki Shannon Smith, a Prince fan of more than 40 years and an experienced author of books for young people, had to figure out how to condense a rich, often complicated story she knew all too well into about 1,000 words in 24 pages.

Shannon Smith researched Prince’s career, rereading his posthumous 2019 memoir, relistening to albums and rewatching videos, movies and television appearances. She trimmed her manuscript, and it was time for illustrator Don Tate to do his part.

Shannon Smith sent Tate, a Michael Jackson fan, all kinds of photos for inspiration and one caveat: Please don’t make the cover illustration based on the “Purple Rain” era, because Prince was so much more than that.

After two years in the making, the Little Golden Book biography was published in January, and Shannon Smith and Tate are headed to the Twin Cities to appear Friday, Feb. 27, at Ramsey County Library in Roseville and Black Garnet Books in St. Paul.

In a phone interview from her home outside Sacramento, Calif., Shannon Smith, who retired from teaching elementary school in 2024, discussed Prince and her book project.

“There was something about that song, which of course I didn’t fully understand, that just captured me,” she said. “I wanted to know what he was talking about. What made him create a song like that? Why is it so different?”

She pursued Prince’s music even if it was sometimes against her strict parents’ wishes. She responded to his rebelliousness and his ability to express himself freely.

The youngster started writing poetry under the name Angelica Paisley with a purple pen. Prince posters and handmade book covers decorated her life.

Later, when Shannon Smith became an elementary school teacher (she taught everything from kindergarten to 6^th grade in her 30-year career), she sometimes played Prince music in the background in her classroom. In 2015, her second-grade class had the Purple One’s “Starfish and Coffee” as their class song.

Despite her fandom, Shannon Smith saw only two Prince concerts: on the Musicology Tour in 2004 and the Welcome to America Tour in 2011. She has been to Paisley Park on her one trip to the Twin Cities.

The author had to cherry-pick highlights of Prince’s life and career, keeping in mind things that kids could relate to, like his appearance with the Muppets and learning to play the “Batman” TV theme on the piano.

Once the book was announced by the publisher, Shannon Smith reached out to Paisley Park but didn’t receive a response.

1. “To honor Prince and his legacy and make sure people knew who he was.

2. ”To honor the fans. I wanted something that was well-done enough and full of enough love that people understood that the person who wrote the book cared about the topic.

3. “I wanted young people to be inspired.”

“There is also grandeur associated with entering that space,” she said. “I chose to use the word ‘mansion’ because it was the closest, most concise word that I thought children could understand. My real description would have taken a whole page and then I’d have been over my word count.”

When she describes his death, she writes: “Prince died at Paisley Park after he accidentally took too much of a prescription medication.” Most sources indicate he died of an accidental overdose of illegal fentanyl.

“Painkillers are tricky. There’s a prescription version of them and there’s often a street version of them,” Shannon Smith said.

She wanted to make it clear that he didn’t die by suicide — hence, accidentally taking too much — and she didn’t want to say “overdose” because of its connotation for older children.

Said Shannon Smith: “Of a ‘prescription medicine’ was me walking the line between ‘some ingredients are helpful but if you take too much of them, they’re harmful,’ so I’m still implying a danger to those same ingredients. I didn’t want kids to think ‘you’re doing to die from medicine.’”

The book she co-wrote with ballet dancer Misty Copeland, “Letters to Misty: How to Move Through Life with Confidence and Grace,” will be published in May.

At the Ramsey County Library, the program will be geared toward preschoolers. It will include story time, a drawing demonstration, a talk about pursuing your favorite things like Prince did and something active like a dance-off to “Let’s Go Crazy” or “Starfish and Coffee.”

Said Shannon Smith: “Hopefully, they’ll come away thinking: ‘I can do one of my favorite things when I grow up. I can be great at something.’”

At Black Garnet Books, Shannon Smith will read to the audience and decide where to go from there.

What: Story time and fun

Where: Ramsey County Library, 2180 North Hamline Av., Roseville

Admission: Free

What: Reading, demonstration and discussion

When: 4:30 p.m. Feb. 27

Where: Black Garnet Books, 1319 University Av. W., St. Paul