The godmother of rock ‘n’ roll, Sister Rosetta Tharpe, has influenced music greats like Elvis and Jerry Lee Lewis. These picture book biographies finally put the pioneer center stage where she belongs.

Bolden, Tonya. Rock, Rosetta, Rock! Roll, Rosetta, Roll!: Presenting Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Godmother of Rock & Roll. illus. by R. Gregory Christie. 40p. HarperCollins. Feb. 2023. Tr $18.99. ISBN 9780062994387.
Gr 1-4 –Rosetta Tharpe was an American singer and guitarist who rose up in gospel music and broke into the mainstream of American music in the 1930s and 1940s. She influenced many well-known musicians, including Elvis Presley, Johnny Cash, Little Richard, and Aretha Franklin. Told in free verse, this picture book biography chronicles her life, from her upbringing in rural Cotton Plant, AR, to accompanying her preacher mother to Chicago, to making a life for herself in New York City. She sang in churches and nightclubs, including the Cotton Club and the Apollo in Harlem. Christie’s vibrant illustrations bring the story to life with movement and punch, matching Tharpe’s personality. A time line in the back matter further fleshes out her personal life and career. VERDICT A fresh and female addition to the music legend canon, just in time for Black History Month displays. Purchase where picture book biographies, especially those about musicians/rock history, circulate well.–Jennifer Noonan

Pinkney Barlow, Charnelle. Little Rosetta and the Talking Guitar: The Musical Story of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Woman Who Invented Rock and Roll. illus. by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow. 40p. Doubleday. Feb. 2023. Tr $21.99. ISBN 9780593571071.
Gr 2-6 –This recounting of Rosetta Tharpe’s life sets itself apart by focusing on the period in her early childhood when she learned to play guitar, and the close relationship she had with her mother, both of which greatly influenced her larger life story. Tharpe’s mother gave her the gift of a guitar at age four, and so began her passion. With a goal of playing at the church anniversary, the young girl persevered through the sore fingers, broken strings, and ear-splitting sour notes all fledgling players endure in order to master their craft. And master it she did, with the support and love of her mother and community. The author’s note picks up where the picture book story leaves off, briefly recounting the trajectory of Tharpe’s ­career, and the influence she had on rock and roll and American music, in general. Spreads of cut-paper collage in muted earth tones are punctuated with musical notes and notations in blues and purples, a combination that gives great depth and interest to the illustrations. VERDICT An overdue narrative of one of early rock’s most influential figures, and an additional purchase for most biography collections.–Jennifer Noonan