Children’s literature scholar Jonda C. McNair describes how Tar Beach is unique in its use of literary innovations, particularly its combination of various artforms such as quilt making, autobiography, and painting.

[1] As Ringgold said in an interview with cultural critic and daughter Michele Wallace, Tar Beach was not written for children but rather to recall the essence of childhood and invoke the memories associated with it.

She was also the runner-up for the Caldecott Medal, the premier American Library Association award for picture book illustration.

Tar Beach was also a New York Times Best Illustrated Book and winner of the Parents' Choice Gold Award.

[4] On May 12, 2012, in a video for the Threads episode of Craft In America: PBS Documentary Series & Museum, Ringgold explained her artistic and technical process as well as her inspiration for creating Tar Beach's illustrations,[5] which were original textile pieces photographically reproduced for the book.