This book is the winner of numerous awards. It was recognised in the Picture Book Text category by the Golden Kite. It was recognised in the Picture Book category by the Georgia Children's Book Award. It also was recognised in the Grades K-2 category by the Delaware Diamonds Award. It was recognised in the Illustrator category by the Coretta Scott King Award. Presented annually since 1970 by the American Library Association to books by African-America authors and illustrators, this award recognizes excellence in promoting a deeper understanding of the African-American Experience.

This book has been graded for interest at 5-9 years.

There are 24 pages in this book. This is a picture book. A picture book uses pictures and text to tell the story. The number of words varies from zero ('wordless') to around 1k over 32 pages. Picture books are typically aimed at young readers (age 3-6) but can also be aimed at older children (7+). This book was published 2008 by Henry Holt & Company .

Andrea Pinkney is the author of many award-winning books for children. Many were collaborations with her husband, illustrator Brian Pinkney. She is also an editor at Scholastic. They live in Brooklyn with their two children. Sean Qualls is the illustrator of a number of celebrated books for children Carole Boston Weatherford is an avid baseball fan and an award-winning poet. She has written more than a dozen books for children. She lives in High Point, North Carolina, with her husband, Ronald; their two children; and a lazy beagle.