Rock, Rosetta, Rock! Roll, Rosetta, Roll! Presenting Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Godmother of Rock & Roll

Music reverberates throughout this striking biographical tribute to rock and roll trailblazer Sister Rosetta Tharpe (1915–1973). Starting as a “pint-size sensation in tiny/ Cotton Plant, Arkansas,” Tharpe is known for having “music in your air,/ in your hair,/ in your bones,/ wiggling your toes.” Traveling to Chicago with her mother, she accompanies Mama’s preaching in churches, at revivals, and on street corners, until, “all grown,” she “gifted Gospel music big-time/ to people all over the place,” interweaving the form with “cousin Boogie-Woogie,/ Cousin Jazz,/ Cousin Swing,/ Cousin the big, bad Blues.” As she performs the world over, her style introduces a sound that saw “lots of younger cats—some future legends—/ ... Diggin’ your licks./ Coppin’ your style.” Bolden uses alliteration, assonance, repetition, and rhythm to create an irresistibly musical text that effectively communicates the feel of Tharpe’s music. Christie’s lively illustrations render elongated forms with exaggerated expressions against color-block backgrounds, capturing the physicality of Tharpe’s performance style and the intensity of her sound. A timeline and author’s note follow. Ages 4–8. (Feb.)