Elvis: The Story of the Rock and Roll King
By: Bonnie Christensen
Published: 2015
Beautifully written, flawlessly illustrated, and wonderfully informative. I'm not going to lie. I wasn't really exposed to Elvis and didn't know much about him or his music other than the fact that he sings about hound dogs and blue suede shoes. Well, this book did an excellent job of introducing somebody who had little to no knowledge about the King of Rock and Roll to his inspirational and dazzling story. Christensen formatted this biography like a narrative. This is a great way for students who may be reluctant towards reading biographies or informational texts to get their toes wet in the genre.
The illustrations are very raw and very powerful. You can feel Elvis's emotions towards moving to Memphis and singing in front of his church congregation for the first time. Christensen uses the artistic choice of demand quite frequently. When Elvis's daddy is sent to prison for check forgery, you can see the fear and sadness in his expression so boldly that you can't help but empathize with him. You can also see the stars in his eyes as he drives through Memphis and stares longingly at the recording studios. This story is also a great inspirational one. Elvis had been dealt a pretty poor hand and had many odds stacked against him. However, he was able to make an incredible career and life for himself, despite those circumstances.
While this book may not be the most informational biography out there, it is a child friendly story that could be used in any age classroom. Using a household name like Elvis Presley is a great way to hook students into learning about this time period as well as biographies and informational texts. You would definitely need to play some of his music during any lesson that this book is used for to put it into context for those who may not be familiar with his work. Four bright and shining stars for this star studded biography on the King of Rock and Roll!!
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