Joyful paintings visualize the musical roots of centuries beginning with once forbidden drums of many African heritages to the beats of the 1990s. "Fathered by funk and nurtured by mother Africa, I see the rhythm of hip hop and the rhythm lives on in me," writes Toyomi Igus. Each page spread of this full-color history of black music can be enjoyed in multiple ways. A time line in a small typeface provdies selected historical background for each section: Origins, Slave Songs, Birth of the Blues, Ragtime, Jazz Beginnings, Swing Jazz, Jazz Women, Bebop, Coll Jazz, Gospel, Rhythm & Blues/Soul Music, Black Rock, Funk, Rap and Hip Hop. Igus previously collaborated with artist Michele Wood on the book Going Back Home, an autobiographical essay on the artist's personal roots. In this new venture, Wood has hidden a little girl in every scene. Sometimes this child is a baby on a mother's back, or she might be playing the piano. Although that is a small detail, it's one that can increase the visual pleasure of a singularly handsome volume, especially for children young enough to feel the power of Wood's words but not quite ready for the background information about history. (Ages 9-14)

A colorful and energetic celebration of African American music from its origins in Africa through slave songs, blues, and jazz women up through rock, funk, and hip-hop. This picture book can be appreciated for the beat of its text, the history incorporated on each page, the power of its illustrations, to its overall unique page-by-page design.

'We free now, baby,' mama whispers as we bounce and sway with the wagon's twists and turns over roads of clay through the land that oppressed us to a new world, a brand new day. The dynamic author/illustrator team of Toyomi Igus and Michele Wood has come together again to produce I See the Rhythm of Gospel, a sequel to the Coretta Scott King Award-winning I See the Rhythm. Readers of all ages will be captivated by this informative and inspirational blend of poetry, art, and music that relates the history of gospel music as reflected through the journey of African Americans from their arrival as slaves in America to the election of our first black president, Barack Obama.