Elvis Presley

March 1, 2022
A new entry in the Little People, BIG DREAMS series recounts the life story of the King of Rock 'n' Roll. Presley's early musical influences--country and blues music--are established in the opening spreads describing his childhood. He is shown playing the guitar and glancing over at his Black neighbors, who are given to "singing blues on the porch," while his mother hangs out wash and sings. Vegara weaves this theme of Presley's affinity with the Black community throughout the story. Albero's signature caricatures and flat scenes depict turning points in the icon's life: his family's move from Mississippi to Tennessee, his military service, his purchase of a mansion for his family, and his mother's death. The book also covers career highlights: winning a school talent show, making his first commercial record, developing his dancing moves, and being awarded a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award at age 36. Mention is made of his movies and televised tribute to Martin Luther King Jr. The biography concludes by noting that Presley was "the irreplaceable artist who changed the course of music history and made sure that no song would be black or white ever again." While the facts of Presley's life are presented, the undefined musical concepts will fly over the heads of many young readers, making the relationship between race and music less meaningful. For a more emotionally charged, age-appropriate profile, read Jonah Winter's Elvis Is King (2019). (This book was reviewed digitally.) A passable introduction to the life of Elvis Presley. (timeline, further reading) (Picture-book biography. 5-8)

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June 1, 2022

K-Gr 3-This title in the "Little People, Big Dreams" series offers an introduction to Elvis Presley, attempting to address questions of race in the history of rock and roll. The book opens with Presley's modest upbringing in rural Mississippi and continues on to his discovery of a love of music as an adolescent in Memphis, building to his music and film careers. Albero's illustrations follow the series format: they are simple and clean with mostly full-color spreads. Sanchez-Vegara emphasizes Presley's appreciation for both the country music of his (white) childhood and the blues music of his (Black) neighbors, and how he melded the two. However, despite a general statement that "at that time, his country had unfair rules that separated people by the color of their skin," racial terms are never made explicit, and a blatant "color-blind" theme pervades the book-"for Elvis, music had no color." This simplified approach to racism for a young audiences greatly waters down the topic. VERDICT While this book serves as an informative introduction to the life of Presley and the legacy of his music, educators seeking a more complex exploration of his relationship to race can provide young readers with Elvis by Bonnie Christensen.-Clara Hendricks

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