Elvis Is King!
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- $8.99
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- $8.99
Publisher Description
Elvis Presley--the King of Rock 'n' Roll, still beloved by millions of Americans--comes to vibrant, gyrating life in this extraordinary picture-book biography from an award-winning author and the winner of a New York Times Best Illustrated Book Award.
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.
"Readers will want to pore over this thoroughly engaging volume." -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
This picture book biography from the duo behind Here Comes the Garbage Barge! conveys the story of Elvis Presley's life, from crushing loneliness and poverty early on to his first #1 hit, "Heartbreak Hotel." Reality and fantasy blend together in the cinematically styled and lit compositions: when young Presley first hears gospel music coming from a rural African-American church "on a dusty road," the building seems to ascend to heaven on wings (an afterword delves further into his rise within the context of America's racial history). Wire, clay, and cloth sculptures by Red Nose Studio find an ideal subject in Presley's operatic emotions, jet black dyed pompadour (depicted here in tidal wave proportions), and kinetic hip swiveling. Winter's text reads like blank verse and matches the images' emotional power on every page: "What would you do if you were just a poor country boy in the big city... What crazy plans might you concoct, lying in bed at night, listening to the freight trains passing by?"Ages 4 8.
