(1) K-3 Illustrated by R Gregory Christie. Rosetta Tharpe's (1915–1973) music would influence some of the biggest stars of the twentieth century--from Chuck Berry and Little Richard to Johnny Cash and Aretha Franklin--and change the sound of American music forever. In a picture-book biography that takes Tharpe from childhood in Cotton Plant, Arkansas ("Little girl. Big guitar"), through her adult career, Bolden's dynamic second-person text puts readers in Tharpe's shoes. In tracing her musical successes, readers see her intermingling of musical genres ("mixing it up with Gospel's Cousin Boogie-Woogie, Cousin Jazz, Cousin Swing, Cousin the big, bad Blues") and with it the origin of rock and roll. Bolden describes Tharpe the performer as "bold, audacious--in a word, bodacious, whatever the song." Christie's acryla gouache paintings use bold contrasting colors to show Tharpe as the center of attention as well as the center of the action: singing, praying, duckwalking, and always with fingers flying on the guitar strings. He contrasts crisp angular lines (of industrial modernity--trains, spotlights, skylines) with elegant curves (of the guitar's body, of human figures). A detailed timeline, a lengthy author's note, and brief source notes round out this impressive offering about an often-overlooked figure in American music. Pair with Barlow's Little Rosetta and Her Talking Guitar (rev. 1/23).

Reviewer: Eric Carpenter | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2023

(1) K-3 Illustrated by Gregory R. Christie. In a sophisticated, poetic picture-book biography, Duncan alternates double-page spreads featuring prose or poems in a variety of forms that highlight Coretta Scott King's accomplishments. ("I wanted to capture the musical quality of her voice and bearing.") Each poem highlights a significant date, such as 1927, which opens the book: "Alabama soil / A fertile plain of black earth / Coretta was born." Lengthy prose sections expand on the poems' topics or move the narrative forward. From her childhood in Alabama under Jim Crow to college in Ohio and studying music in Boston, Coretta followed her mother's encouragement to "get an education and try to be somebody" and her father's assurance that she could "do anything anyone else can do." After Coretta's marriage to Martin Luther King Jr., Duncan describes how the husband-and-wife team became the prominent faces of the civil rights movement and ardent proponents of nonviolent protest. Following MLK's assassination, Coretta continued the mission and worked to establish a national holiday in honor of her husband. Duncan's reverent tone gleams thanks to an effective combination of forthright prose and eclectic poetic forms. Christie conveys the highlights of Coretta's life story in vivid and engaging watercolor renderings. A timeline and bibliography are appended.

Reviewer: Pauletta Brown Bracy | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 2023

(2) K-3 Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. Rockliff and Christie focus their story of the Montgomery Bus Boycott on a little-heralded--yet integral--member of the movement, culinary whiz Georgia Gilmore (1920–1990). Once the boycott began, Gilmore and her "Club from Nowhere" (so dubbed to help members avoid retaliatory action) sold baked goods and donated their earnings to the cause. Although Gilmore did, in fact, lose her job after testifying at Dr. King's trial following his arrest for organizing the boycott, she was able to succeed when he encouraged her to start her own catering business. Gilmore's home became a place for members of the movement to gather not just to eat good food but to hash out matters relevant to the boycott. Rockliff repeats certain phrases to great effect ("Summer heated up... The boycotters trudged on. Fall passed... The boycotters plodded on") and nods to Gilmore's mouthwatering menu offerings ("The empty buses made city officials hotter than Georgia's collard greens with pepper sauce"). Christie's vivid, painterly illustrations bring the 1950s setting to life and show Gilmore's importance to the cause; she is pictured in nearly every spread, cooking, baking, bringing money to a boycott strategy meeting, and more. Appended with an "After the Boycott" page, which focuses on Gilmore's later life; an author's note on sources; and a source list. Pair with Romito and Freeman's Pies from Nowhere (rev. 11/18).

Reviewer: Sam Bloom | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(2) 4-6 Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. "Long before you were born, or perhaps it was long after you had departed, there was a village." So begins this wondrous tale of the village of Sesa, the unusual boy who lives there--and magic enough to change them both. Sesa has long been divided by the perceived ability of its residents, with those who "lacked the talent and skill to contribute fully" relegated to the compound known as Noroad. Even within Noroad, all inhabitants are expected to fill prescribed roles. Grief-stricken after his father is killed by a leopard, however, young Ezomo refuses to follow the traditional path of a child, instead choosing to spend his days wandering in the nearby woods--an act the elders see as a threat to their authority. While they discuss the means of correction or punishment, Ezomo encounters the same leopard responsible for his father's death, and his journey for justice begins. Joined by two friends who experienced tragedies within their own families, Ezomo enters a magical vision quest of sorts into a beautifully described land full of talking birds, ageless children, sentient swamps, and magical trees. Far from traveling a linear route, the tale doesn't come to a neat conclusion for Ezomo and his friends, but it's a satisfying one all the same. Combining adventure, cautionary tale, and folklore, the narrative includes many side stories and intertwined histories. Christie's fantastical black-and-white illustrations, which mimic wood carvings, are interspersed throughout. Making use of many characteristics found in West African oral traditions (call and response, repetition, proverbs, etc.), this tale is a joy to read both silently and aloud.

Reviewer: Eboni Njoku | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2022

(2) K-3 Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. "Church said / Help your neighbor. / Mama said / Lift as you climb." So began the lifework of civil rights activist Ella Baker. The granddaughter of a formerly enslaved couple who bought the land on which they had toiled, Baker was raised to help the less fortunate. As a civil rights leader, she would go to churches and schools, picnics and barbershops, and listen to what the people needed, believing the leadership could come from "the bottom up." This devotion to self-­empowerment is captured with the refrain "What do you hope to accomplish?" Her leadership style sometimes put her at odds with others ("She ­challenged Reverend King with her ideas. Rather than just the elite and the middle class--what about the poorest? What about the people at the bottom? Dr. King didn't always agree with Ella. But he respected her"), but her successes led her to spearhead the SCLC (Southern Christian Leadership Conference), which later became SNCC (Student Nonviolent Coordinating ­Committee). The relaxed pacing, absence of quotation marks, and natural line breaks ensure a smooth read-aloud. Christie's ­painterly illustrations reinforce the details of Baker's life--the cool, relaxed blue and green background of her childhood gives way to bright, energetic yellows and pinks as she works for the movement. Varied use of line adds subtle context--the contrast between the ordered array of men to whom Dr. King preaches and the roundtable discussion of the women is telling. Extensive back matter includes an author's note, a glossary of organizations mentioned in the story, a timeline, and a bibliography.

Reviewer: Eboni Njoku | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2020

(2) K-3 Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. This well-told biography relates how Jackie Robinson stood up for what was right even before he was a baseball star, including a central incident when he refused to move to the back of an army post bus in 1944. It concludes as Robinson breaks baseball's "color line" in 1947. Dramatic, expressionistic gouache illustrations offer a visual narrative that extends the text of this American story. Timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Dean Schneider | Horn Book Magazine Issue: January, 2018

(3) K-3 Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. The 1968 Memphis Sanitation Strike is not often covered in picture books, despite its being Dr. King's final march before his assassination. In a poignant mix of poetry and prose, fictional child Lorraine Jackson shares her family's story of resistance as she helped her sanitation-worker father fight for fair wages and safer working conditions. Christie's rich gouache paintings illustrate the honest portrayal of an intense historical moment. Timeline. Bib.

Reviewer: Monique Harris

(3) K-3 Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. With inspiring quotes integrated throughout, this dense picture-book biography, which spans JFK's life but centers on civil rights progress, urges young readers to speak out against injustice. Corey acknowledges Kennedy's imperfect handling of complex issues; Christie's stylized paintings include striking scenes of contemporaneous unrest. An author's note and bios (with portraits) of other icons from the era are appended. Reading list, websites. Bib.

Reviewer: Lauren Causey

(1) K-3 Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. In Louisiana, enslaved Africans were provided a half-day of rest each Sunday; in New Orleans, they gathered in Congo Square. Spare couplets, describing the labors and horrors of slavery, count down to Sunday. Weatherford sugarcoats nothing, but the text isn't mired in sadness or pain. Christie's illustrations, which recall Jacob Lawrence's work, add even more emotional depth. A foreword provides historical context.

Reviewer: Sarah Hannah Gomez | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2016

(3) 4-6 Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. Thirteen combined biographies showcase the different experiences of African Americans in the years surrounding the American Revolution. James Lafayette was a spy and double agent; Phillis Wheatley became a renowned poet; John Kizell worked post-war to end the slave trade in Sierra Leone. Each tale carefully highlights both the individual's unique story (soldier, slave, minister, trader, etc.) and unifying themes. Timelines, websites. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Lauren Causey

(2) K-3 Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. Nelson presents a picture book adaptation of her No Crystal Stair source material, narrated by young Lewis, son of the National Memorial African Bookstore proprietor Lewis Michaux. Studded with Michaux's aphorisms ("Don't get took! Read a book!"), the book conveys the store's vibrancy during the tumultuous 1960s. Christie, whose black-and-white drawings illustrate No Crystal Stair, here employs full pages drenched with expressionistic color. Bib.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2015

(2) K-3 Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. "Sugar Hill, Sugar Hill where life is sweet" repeats throughout this rhymed tribute to Harlem's storied neighborhood, home of many well-to-do African Americans during the Harlem Renaissance, including Paul Robeson, Lena Horne, Thurgood Marshall, and W. E. B. Du Bois. Christie's pastel-hued illustrations and Weatherford's poetry give a strong sense of vibrant simultaneous action, and neither slides into nostalgia.

Reviewer: Kathleen T. Horning | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2014

(4) K-3 Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. In 1859 Philip Reid, slave of a master craftsman, played a pivotal role in ensuring the Statue of Freedom, designed for the top of the U.S. Capitol dome, could be cast in bronze. This historical footnote highlights the accomplishments and contribution of African Americans, though the story itself lacks real drama. Often somber illustrations portray Reid with dignity. Archival documents are appended.

Reviewer: Amy Lois Cohn

(1) YA Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. Opened at the end of the Great Depression, Michaux's National Memorial African Bookstore became a central gathering place for African American writers, artists, intellectuals, and political figures. In this extraordinary, inspiring book, short chapters are written in thirty-six different voices--mostly of Michaux himself and other historical people. Reading list. Bib., ind.

Reviewer: Kathleen T. Horning | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2012

(2) K-3 Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. This picture-book biography describes artist Traylor's life--born into slavery in 1854, he worked as a sharecropper after Emancipation--and how at the age of eighty-five he first began to draw on scraps of cardboard. Christie's own flat primitive style is a perfect match for Traylor's story, but the real artistry here is in Tate's finely crafted account of Traylor's first eighty years.

Reviewer: Kathleen T. Horning | Horn Book Magazine Issue: May, 2012

(4) 4-6 Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. Evoking blues music through theme and sometimes rhythm, Adoff's sixty free-verse poems, idiosyncratically punctuated and spaced, flow easily. There's not much variety to the pieces: the subject is African American life, the imagery largely rural and Southern. Dignified scenes by Christie don't illustrate the book, exactly, but they give it some welcome contrast. The lack of table of contents and index is frustrating.

Reviewer: Roger Sutton

(2) 1-3 Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. Dyamonde demands that her mother buy her the high-top sneakers she "needs." The next day her clothes disappear, and Mom explains that she only really needs one set. When a classmate's home is destroyed by fire, Dyamonde realizes the distinction between wanting and needing. The character dynamics are pitch perfect, with third-grader Dyamonde realistically balanced between self-confidence and self-doubt.

Reviewer: Susan Dove Lempke | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2010

(3) K-3 Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. A young African American girl celebrates being black with a collection of lively definitions drawn mostly from her everyday life: "Black is big / like a star-filled sky / and tiny like the / sparkle in my daddy's eye." The warmth and joy conveyed in her descriptions is echoed in Christie's vibrant illustrations.

Reviewer: Henrietta M. Smith

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. Smart, spunky third-grader Dyamonde has everything going for her--except a best friend. The new kid, Free, doesn't show much promise at first, and Dyamonde nicknames him "Rude Boy"--until she takes the time to get to know him. A quirky heroine, an unusual friendship, and a city setting make this start to a new series a welcome addition.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl

(3) 1-3 Illustrated by R. Gregory Christie. Dyamonde's best friend, Free, has his eye on winning a poetry contest's cash prize. But shy classmate Damaris, who lives in a homeless shelter, is the real poet, and her growing friendship with Dyamonde helps them all redefine their ideas about wealth. Matter-of-fact discussions of homelessness and job loss make this chapter book a timely addition.

Reviewer: Norah Piehl