Beginning with the roots of black music in Africa and continuing on to contemporary hip hop, i see the rhythm takes us on a musical journey through time. We are invited to feel the rhythm of worksongs on a southern plantation, to see the rhythm of jazz from a balcony in New Orleans, to dance to the rhythm of swing at the Savoy in Harlem, and to rejoice to the rhythm of gospel from a church pew on a Sunday morning.
Each stunning spread includes art, poetic text, a description of the music style, and a time line of selected historical events, and encompasses the spirit of the time and place where the music was born. Toyomi Igus's lyrical poems, matched with artist Michele Wood's daring vision, captures the feel of each style of music and pays tribute to the musicians who gave the music life.
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Michele Wood is a painter, media artist, and printmaker whose work has gained wide recognition in the United States, Canada, and Nigeria. She was commissioned to create the 1993 Black History Month series poster for the city of Atlanta. She currently lives and works in Atlanta, Georgia.
Toyomi Igus is the Editor and Publications Director at UCLA's Center for African American Studies, and the author of several books for children, including Two Mrs. Gibsons, about her mixed-race childhood. She lives with her family in Los Angeles, California
- 1999 Coretta Scott King Illustrator Award
- 1999 American Library Association Notable Book
- 1999 Jane Addams Book Award Honor Book
- 1999 National Association of Multicultural Education's "Best Book of the Year"
- 1998 Cooperative Children's Book Center Choice
- 1999 Skipping Stones Honor Award
- 2000-2001 Texas Bluebonnet Master List of the Texas Library Association
- 2005 California Readers, Elementary California Collection
- San Francisco Chronicle Book Review's "Best Books of 1998"
- American Bookseller "Pick of the List"
- Publishers Weekly Starred Review and "Best Books of 1998"
- School Library Journal Starred Review
"This ambitious picture book from the creators of Going Back Home offers a sweeping visual history of African Americans through music, from the pulsating drums of Africa… right on up to present-day rap and hip hop… Impeccably crafted, this visually exciting and lyrically memorable tour de force is not to be missed." —Publishers Weekly, Starred Review
"… the pictures broadcast joy, innovation, and exuberance in the face of systematic oppression." —Kirkus Starred Review
" This children's book is an inspiring celebration of African American music and its far-reaching impact on the world." —Multicultural Education
"This compact picture book is infinitely rich, wide, and deep, showing how one musical form influenced the next." —Children's Book Award Annual
