Little Rosetta and the Talking Guitar - by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow (Hardcover)

About the Book

"A picture book biography of pioneering guitarist Sister Rosetta Tharpe"--

Book Synopsis

A picture book biography of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the woman who invented rock and roll.

Author and illustrator Charnelle Pinkney Barlow imagines the childhood of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, whose rural roots inspired and helped create the music we still hear today. In this warm, inspiring tale, young readers will glimpse a life filled with music, community, and a drive to succeed.

"Music is the heart of our story," says Momma to young Rosetta, surprising her with her first guitar. Rosetta's strums sound like ker-plunks. But with practice and determination, she makes music, fingers hopping "like corn in a kettle," notes pouring over the church crowd "like summer rain washing the dust off a new day."

Children will see Rosetta's dream become reality through hard work and perseverance. And they'll learn the overlooked story of a pioneering Black artist, whose contribution to music history is only now being discovered.

Review Quotes

★ "Pinkney Barlow smartly uses lively onomatopoeia and crisp, textured collage art to layer the origins of the subject's sound onto every page."--Publishers Weekly, starred review

★ "Perhaps most impressive is the sense of place achieved by both text and art: Readers will truly feel as though they've visited Cotton Plant and met many of its animated, expressive denizens."--BookPage, starred review

★ Black Caucus American Library Association Best of the Best List, 2023

★ A Bank Street College Best Children's Book of the Year, 2024

★ Norman A. Sugarman Children's Biography Award Honor, 2024, Cleveland Public Library

★ A New York Public Library Vibrant Voices pick, 2024

"Barlow captures the delight of [Tharpe's] voice in her new picture book."--The New York Times

"An inspiring story that may encourage others to pick up an instrument and make it speak."--The Horn Book

"Speaks to all children with music in their heads while introducing an unjustly little-known pioneer."--Kirkus Reviews

"[A] pitch-perfect picture-book biography. . . . This upbeat, harmonious portrait of the "Godmother of Rock and Roll" as a child hits all the right notes."--Booklist

"An overdue narrative of one of early rock's most influential figures."--School Library Journal

"Fabulous."--The Globe and Mail

"Onomatopoeia brings a playful rhythm as "Little Rosetta" finds inspiration in everyday moments, and her journey from novice musician to fluent guitarist is relayed with authentic struggles and self-doubt."--The Bulletin

"'Little Rosetta' finds inspiration in everyday moments, and her journey from novice musician to fluent guitarist is relayed with authentic struggles and self-doubt."--The Bulletin of the Center for Children's Books

About the Author

CHARNELLE PINKNEY BARLOW received her BFA in illustration from the University of the Arts, Philadelphia, and her MFA in the Illustration as Visual Essay program from the School of Visual Arts, New York. Charnelle's children's book illustrations include Everything in Its Place, The Real Santa, and Remember to Dream, Ebere. Charnelle lives in Indianapolis with her husband. When she's not drawing, she is baking, sewing, or reading with a cup of tea by her side. Find her online at callmechartreuse.com, and follow her on Instagram at @callmechartreuse.