(Penguin Random House)
(pub. 1.8.2019)
40 pages
and illustrator:
Red Nose Studio
C haracter: Elvis Presley
O verview:
"Here’s the perfect book for anyone who wants to introduce rock ‘n’ roll and its king to the child in their lives. In single- page “chapters” with titles like “The First Cheeseburger Ever Eaten by Elvis” and “Shazam! A Blond Boy Turns into a Black-Haired Teenager,” readers can follow key moments in Presley’s life, from his birth on the wrong side of the railroad tracks in the Deep South, to playing his first guitar in grade school, to being so nervous during a performance as a teenager that he starts shaking . . . and changes the world!
Jonah Winter and Red Nose Studio have created a tour-de-force that captures a boy’s loneliness and longing, along with the energy and excitement, passion, and raw talent that was Elvis Presley."
Red Nose Studio
C haracter: Elvis Presley
O verview:
"Here’s the perfect book for anyone who wants to introduce rock ‘n’ roll and its king to the child in their lives. In single- page “chapters” with titles like “The First Cheeseburger Ever Eaten by Elvis” and “Shazam! A Blond Boy Turns into a Black-Haired Teenager,” readers can follow key moments in Presley’s life, from his birth on the wrong side of the railroad tracks in the Deep South, to playing his first guitar in grade school, to being so nervous during a performance as a teenager that he starts shaking . . . and changes the world!
Jonah Winter and Red Nose Studio have created a tour-de-force that captures a boy’s loneliness and longing, along with the energy and excitement, passion, and raw talent that was Elvis Presley."
"Elvis Tries to Make a *Real* Record
But - he's just sitting in this chair,
not moving, not excited,
no feeling in his voice.
The recording guy just shakes his head.
Elvis Tries to Make a *Real* Record (Take Two)]
So, Elvis and the other musicians are goofing around
during a break - having fun with a popular blues song
called 'That's All Right.'
Elvis is standing up now and shaking his hips
and doing these crazy moves with his knees
and making his voice all wobbly.
The recording guy perks up:
'LET'S RECORD THAT!'
And something more: Jonah Winter's Author's Note includes a detailed background about Elvis Presley and his success, including the following: "What is most amazing is just how fast Elvis went from being a shy, stuttering teenager to being on top of the pop music world... Elvis was the biggest music star in America - and he was only twenty-one years old.
It is undeniable that Elvis owed much of his success to the essential fact that he was white during a era of massive discrimination against African Americans, an era when the music world was blatantly segregated. The first person to record him... was looking for a white musician to play 'black music' for white teenagers....
Elvis took inspiration from anywhere he could find it -- rhythm and blues gospel, country and western, and crooners... he was always at heart a country boy. And this is why I have included Southern dialect here and there. I am from the South, and my ancestors are from Mississippi and Alabama. My Texas grandmother, one of my favorite people of all time, used to say 'Good Lordy Mercy!' - as do many people from this part of the world. I included such phrases out of love and compassion."
