Little Rosetta and the Talking Guitar: The Musical Story of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the Woman Who Invented Rock and Roll

by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow

A picture-book biography of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, the woman who invented rock and roll--a warm, inspiring tale of a childhood 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."

In this stunning picture book, author and illustrator Charnelle Pinkney Barlow imagines the childhood of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, whose rural roots inspired the music we still hear today.

Young readers will see a child'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.

Genres: Biography, Picture Books, Music, Nonfiction, African American, Childrens, Biography Memoir

40 pages, Hardcover

First published February 28, 2023

Reviews

[Dee Dee G · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nice short introduction to Rosetta Tharpe for kids.

[Aolund · Rating 5 out of 5]

An excellent picture book biography of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, full of onomatopoeia and community. Gorgeously illustrated.

Themes: Music, Black History Month, Women's History Month, You Can Do It!
Age range: Kindergarten-Elementary

[Octavia · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am in Love! 🧡

Charnelle Pinkney Barlow has created a Masterpiece inspired by the Life of musician, Sister Rosetta Tharpe. Young readers can ride of her Onomatopoeias. She really took me back 🥰.

Lastly, the Collage art is Pure Beauty! I could give this one 10 stars 🌟. Simply Stunning...


a Beauty

[Angela De Groot · Rating 5 out of 5]

A peek into the childhood of the godmother of Rock and Roll. Little Rosetta was given a guitar at the age of four. She plucked and strummed but the sounds didn’t match the notes in her head, didn’t sound like the music waiting to tumble out. Frustrated at first, she began to smile when after hours and days of practice, Rosetta’s guitar echoed the sounds that she heard all around her neighborhood - the whirr of sewing machines, the clank of pots and pans, the rummmmm of vacuum cleaners, the gruumm of trains and the squeak of wagon wheels. Rosetta “strummed and picked and plucked some more until her fingers were as red as ripe raspberries.” Finally it was time for the church anniversary celebration and Rosetta’s turn to shine. And shine she did.

[Stacie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I never heard of Sister Rosetta Tharpe and her contributions to American popular music especially gospel and rock and roll. Am eye-opener! The illustrations with cut paper were awesome.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This picture book biography of an overlooked but influential musician is a 3.5 for me. With interesting paper-cut out collage artwork accompanying the musical text, the book follows the path taken by Rosetta Tharp whose entire life revolved around music. Growing up in Arkansas listening to her mother playing the mandolin, the young girl sang and danced with enthusiasm, seemingly feeling the notes somewhere inside her. Her first attempts at playing the guitar that her mother gave her weren't particularly melodic, but with much practice, she improved. Her picking became smoother and faster but also unique as she listened carefully to all the sounds around her and tried to emulate them in her playing. The author uses plentiful onomatopoeia to capture those sounds that captivated Rosetta as a child and made her guitar playing something special. She parlayed her playing into a five-decade career, using her guitar to "tell the tale" (unpaged) of the trials and triumphs of her community, of her people. While the story told here of Rosetta ends on a happy chord with a swirling, note-filled image of her concentrating on her playing, eyes closed, perhaps channeling all of her life experiences, the back matter explains why she hasn't been given the credit she was due for being such an influence on the music now known as rock and roll. Young readers might be interested in listening to some of her music and identifying traces of her influence in popular songs over the decades while wondering why others were often credited for inventing and popularizing her kind of music. This picture book biography that imagines what her budding love for music might have been like goes far in reclaiming her musical legacy.

[Janet Squires · Rating 5 out of 5]

Little Rosetta and the Talking Guitar by Charnelle Pinkney Barlow is a lively picture book biography of Sister Rosetta Tharpe, “the Godmother of rock and roll”.

Rosetta Tharpe, singer and songwriter, began playing the guitar as a child and grew so skilled that she joined her mother entertaining audiences at church and on stage as part of her mother’s musical group. Her travels across the country expanded her musical knowledge and she soon built on her gospel roots by pairing spiritual songs with the electric guitar to produce a unique sound all her own.

Although her name may be unfamiliar—Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and even Eric Clapton gave her credit for influencing their music.

Barlow imagines Rosetta’s childhood in this wonderfully entertaining book that makes clever use of onomatopoeia to capture audience attention—making for an exuberant reading experience. Her bold illustrations pop on every page with movement and joy. An Author’s Note at the end provides additional details about the life and times of this talented performer.

Little Rosetta and the Talking Guitar highlights an extraordinary Black artist and offers an inspiring reminder for youthful readers that success takes time and persistence pays off.

Recommended for aspiring young musicians and music lovers of all ages.

[Read Ribbet · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is another strong contributor to the picture book biography gene. Pinkney Barlow tells the story of the little-known Sister Rosetta Tharpe who is often identified as the woman who invented rock and roll. With clever cut paper collages, Barlow illustrates and describes the childhood of Tharpe and how she embraced music. The influences on her musical style are discussed. Barlow embeds onomatopoeia vocabulary to show environmental influences on Tharpe's sound. The reader sees how her music career moves from her family to her church to nightclubs and the big stages. The end pages include an author's note with more information about Tharpe's life and lasting legacy.

[Korteney Farriols · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is about a girl named Rosetta who grows up loving music, especially gospel. She is talented with the guitar and has her own unique way of playing and singing. Even though people did not always understand her style at first, she kept doing what she loved. She eventually became one of the first big stars of rock and roll. This book is intended for 1st and 2nd graders with the themes of strong women of color and believe it in yourself. I chose this book because Rosetta’s story is inspiring. This a women of color who help create rock n roll

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read this onomatopoeia-style biography to my self-contained class. It kept them engaged with the combination of sounds, colorful collage mosaic illustrations, and text. Afterwards we watched a YOuTube video and listened to her sing/play "Didn't it Rain". They thoroughly enjoyed it and it was fun to learn about this icon that deserves more recognition.
Authors note at the end has lots more information - especially regarding why we don't hear about her

[Connie T. · Rating 1 out of 5]

Sister Rosetta Thorpe learned to play guitar at a very young age. She blended gospel music with the sounds of the city, creating rock and roll. However her story has been lost to history - until now. Unfortunately, I didn't find this picture book biography very engaging or enlightening. It was hard to imagine the city sounds coming from a guitar, even with the onomatopeia. An author's note supplies more details on Thorpe's life.

[Wade Huggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Rosetta and the Talking Guitar is a biographical book about Rosetta Tharpe and her journey from rural Arkansas to world renown guitarist known for inventing rock and roll. The book details her early life and how she learned to play the guitar. The book is done in collage like artwork with mixed media.

[Brittany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as an adult reader for the AR Diamond Book Award. I would recommend this book to any K-3rd grade student looking for a book about a famous person from Arkansas or any reader that enjoys reading picture book biographies. The illustrations were created by using a mixed media collage. You can tell that each illustration was well thought out and created with fine details.

[Sandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

My daughter enjoyed this picture book biography, but wa a little disappointed that the story amainly focused on Tharpe's childhood and didn't talk much about abtual rock n' roll. Still, a good read about an inmortatnt musician that is often overlooked.

[Ellon · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars (I loved it)

This was fantastic!

I loved the illustrations!

The text was full of onomatopoeia and flowed nicely. The back matter gives more details about her career and her impact on Rock and Roll.

[Hinnah Khan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very brief book about the musical journey of Rosetta Tharpe. It focuses primarily on her early years when she was becoming a guitarist. I would love to learn more of her later years as a musician too.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Solid biography of an under known rock-n-roll pioneer.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent introductory biography about this lesser-known musician. Look to the end matter for a more detailed look at her life.

[Trevor · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another incredible children's picture book from a member of the Pinkney family.

[Peacegal · Rating 4 out of 5]

Delightful papercut illustrations and a music story that dances with life.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gotta teach my babies about the 🐐

[wildct2003 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good story

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lonely biography great use of figurative language.

[Jbondandrews · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very colourful book and a sweet story too.

[Book Buying With Katie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Looooooooooove the illustrations

[Jennifer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great nonfiction picture book, and I loved the illustrations. I’ve never heard of Sister Rosetta Thorpe, and I love great books about stories that are little known pieces of history.

[stillme · Rating 4 out of 5]

ALSC Notable 2024

[Heidi Burkhart · Rating 5 out of 5]

The collage illustrations are outstanding. This book would be an excellent addition to a music class curriculum.

[Bruce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pinkney Barlow’s picture book biography of innovative and influential gospel guitarist and singer Sister Rosetta Tharpe is told colorfully in paint and cut paper collage. It tells of the innovative and influential singer and musician as a child learning to play the guitar by imitating and creating the feelings and rhythms she heard around her in her hometown in rural Cotton Plant, Arkansas: the “sharp clank of pots and pans”, the “steady whirrrrrr” of a sewing machine, “the smooth rummmmm of “a vacuum cleaner, “ the low gruumm of a train rolling along the tracks. The sharp squeeeak of wagon wheels. The buzz of a crowded market,” and her own improvisations as she practiced and practiced and practiced. She became a musical sensation at her church, and then went on to become a star as a gospel music performer in the 1940s and 1950s.

The author’s note at the end of the book goes on to tell of her ability to blend the sounds she heard and created in rural Arkansas with the sounds of the cities she heard after moving to Chicago and New York : blues and jazz as well as gospel. Her performances became major influences on Elvis Presley, Jerry Lee Lewis, Johnny Cash and Little Richard. In 2018 she was inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.

[Kellee Moye · Rating 4 out of 5]

I did not know about Sister Rosetta Tharpe before reading this book, but I am so glad that isn’t true anymore (and I went and listened to some of her songs, too!). The text is very informative and musical in its own right, and the illustrations were unique, adding even more personality to the book. I am so glad this book exists so that this story is not lost.