Tonya Bolden’s books have earned much praise and numerous starred reviews. Her work has been recognized with the NCTE Orbis Pictus Award for Outstanding Nonfiction for Children and the Carter G. Woodson Book Award and listed as a CBC/NCSS Notable Social Studies Trade Book for Young People. She is also the recipient of the Children’s Book Guild of Washington, DC’s Nonfiction Award for her body of work. Her Maritcha: A Nineteenth-Century American Girl was a Coretta Scott King Author Honor book. Visit her website at www.tonyaboldenbooks.com.R. Gregory Christie is the Caldecott Honor-winning illustrator of Freedom in Congo Square, as well as a five-time recipient of the Coretta Scott King Honor Illustrator Award and a three-time recipient of the New York Times Ten Best Illustrated Children’s Books of the Year award. He’s also a recipient of the NAACP’s Image Award, the Boston Globe-Horn Book Award, and the American Library Association’s Theodor Seuss Geisel Award for illustration. He also illustrated the 2013 Kwanzaa stamp for the United States Postal Service. He lives in Georgia. Visit Gregory’s website at www.gas-art.com

"Impressive offering about an often-overlooked figure in American music." — Horn Book (starred review)“A profile as bold and vivacious as the singer herself.” — Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"Terrific for all collections that want to inspire the musically inclined and highlight innovative pioneers. " — Booklist (starred review)"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. . . capture the physicality of Tharpe's performance style and the intensity of her sound." — Publishers Weekly (starred review)“The marriage of Bolden’s words and Christie’s pictures is almost as satisfying as Tharpe’s songs. . .” — New York Times Book Review