I loved this wonderful picture book about the life of Elvis! I learnt a lot from this small book and having seen the new Elvis biopic I think this would be a brilliant companion book to share with young children, about Elvis’ life from young boy, to the King of Rock’n’roll. I enjoyed the simple artwork that accompanied his story and highly recommend it!

Elvis Presley by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara looks at the life of the King of Rock. At a young age, Elvis learned that he loved to sing, and wanted to do that as a career. Fresh out of high school, he took a chance and recorded his first song. That set the ball rolling, and Elvis would go on to popularise a style of music called rock-and-roll, earning him the title 'King of Rock-and-roll'. I appreciate that the author handled certain parts of his life with gentleness and compassion. That's been the case with many of the people who've been covered in this series. At the end is a section with more detailed information on Elvis' life, suitable for older readers. Inspirational and educational both, this entire series is great, and full of delightful art to engage younger audiences. Highly recommended!

4★
“When ‘That’s All Right’ started playing on the local radio, it became a hit overnight. Many people had never heard a sound like it before. It wasn’t blues, but it wasn’t country either. It was… ROCK ’N’ ROLL!”

It sure was, and although Elvis wasn’t the first rock ‘n’ roll artist, he was the one who brought it to the whole nation’s attention.

Born and raised in a two-bedroom house his father built in Mississippi, Elvis loved all the different kinds of music around him.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
“But for Elvis, music had no color! He loved listening to his mom’s country songs and the voices of his neighbors singing blues on the porch.”

After they’d moved to Memphis, he lived where he could hear pop and country music in the record stores and R&B coming out of the clubs on Beale Street.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
“Then, back home, he took his guitar and mixed it all together.”

He entered his high school talent quest and won. Now he knew what he wanted to do.

“With just a shake of his hips, he went from being the weird kid at the back of the class to an artist who set the stage on fire!”

When he finished school, he bravely went to Sun Studios to record a song – a mix of blues and country.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
“When “That’s All Right” started playing on the local radio, it became a hit overnight.”

He was a rock ‘n’ roller! He and the band, The Blue Moon Boys, played to many different audiences. As you can see in the picture below, not everyone was a fan.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
“…once Elvis started singing and jiggling his legs, everyone went crazy… one way or the other!”

He became so famous, his every move was reported. He built a beautiful home, Gracelands, for his family, and then he was drafted! His beloved mother died shortly after, and two years later, he was as popular as ever.

He made many movies, but he missed the live audiences. At the age of only 36, he won a Lifetime Achievement award.

“Yet he still had much more to offer! He kept giving his best, dressing in stunning jumpsuits and even adding karate moves to his show.”

He died when he was only 42, but his legend and popularity certainly live on.

My Goodreads review includes an illustration with the caption:
“And all the great musicians that came after him still look up to little Elvis, King of Rock ’n’ Roll, the irreplaceable artist who changed the course of music history and made sure that no song would be black or white ever again.”

As in all of these Little People BIG DREAMS books, there are four real photographs at the end along with a short biography and recommendations of where you can look for more material.

My Goodreads review includes the four small photos of Elvis from the back of the book.

Thanks to NetGalley and Quarto’s Frances Lincoln Children’s Books for the copy for review. I do love this series and hope that school and local libraries are stocking up.

The artwork is so stylised that I find it hard to identify who all of the artists are in the last illustration. I reckon the Beatles are Ringo (with the drumsticks), John Lennon (standing at far left of picture), but Paul and George? Maybe Paul is John’s best friend and George is the loner on the floor?

Then Bob Dylan with the harmonica and maybe Bonnie Raitt with the cowboy boots? Elton John is unmistakable, of course, (and little Elvis is on stage), but who is playing the tambourine? All comments appreciated.
3

'Elvis Presley' by Maria Sanchez Vegara with art by Ana Albero is a biography for young readers in the Little People, Big Dreams series.

Elvis Presley was born in North Mississippi and saw that there were unfair rules for people based on skin color. When he was 13, he moved to Memphis and he listened to music made by whites and blacks and mixed it in to his own sound.

It's a well known story to me, so I know it's told well here for younger readers. The illustration style is unique and colorful.

This is a very timely addition to the series with the release of the new Elvis movie. It would be perfect to share the story of Elvis who may see the adverts for the movie but be too young to watch it. Gorgeously illustrated!

This is another great book to add to the Little People, Big Dreams collection!

I love this series as they are perfect introductions to young people about some of the most famous and influential people from our past and present and are also a reminder about how these people have also changed our history.

5 stars from me for this one, very highly recommended and can't wait for my daughter to get involved in the series

Another excellent addition to the series. The illustrations are fab and seem to somehow capture Elvis’ personality and capture the audiences attention. I wasn’t aware until I read this that he had played I had a dream and how important that was given the era they were in. I can just see how special this will be for future musicians.

Thank you Netgalley for allowing me to read this book for free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

This book is absolutely adorable. It's a fun new way to learn about the life of Elvis Presley. This book is perfect for children, adults, and especially fun for someone who collects Elvis memorabilia. My aunt is one of those collectors and can't wait to pick her up a copy soon. This book is a lot of fun and I highly recommend.

What a great performer Elvis Presley was was I am so glad Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara did this as one of her little books for children! These books must be one of the best little books to purchase for children, these are the best-selling series of books and educational games that explore the lives of outstanding people, from designers and artists to scientists and activists. All of them achieved incredible things, yet each began life as a child with a dream.

The Greatest Performer Elvis Presley;-

Elvis was born into poverty in North Mississippi, a place where opportunities were a rare thing to see. Still, he felt that someday, somehow, something amazing would happen. When he sang in a school talent show, he realized that singing was all he wanted to do with his life.

He had just finished high school when he plucked up the courage and walked through the doors of Sun Studios, ready to record his first song. After this came hit after hit, and he popularised a new genre of music that mixed all kinds of different styles. That genre was Rock 'n' Roll, and it would take the world by storm!

I highly recommend all of these wonderful books and a must for any child's book shelves.

Big thanks to NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group for providing an advance reader copy in exchange for an honest review.

Here is my review for receiving a free copy from Netgalley. Elvis Presley was a cute non-fiction book celebrating the late and great rock n roll musician. The illustrations were beautiful, and the art style was simplistic and colorful. The pictures really captured Elvis' vibe and eccentricities. The writing told the story of his life in kid-friendly language, and it was very approachable. The timeline at the back provides a great opportunity for non-fiction text features and connecting this biography to the social sciences.

I am a fan of this series and I was delighted to see an Elvis book. Kids are interested in him and his life during our biography unit. I would recommend for teachers as a read aloud or perhaps using along side another book on Elvis as a comparison. Cute for younger readers.

I received an advance reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

Elvis Presley is one of the new additions to the Little People Big Dreams series and is again beautifully told and illustrated for younger readers. Elvis is an icon and legend to rock and roll music and made an impact on rock and roll in the 70s. Children will love learning about this legend and will delight in seeing all the fabulous outfits he wore, showcased in this book. Elvis's story is inspirational to anyone who learns of it. He inspired a change within the music industry in segregated music cultures due to his love of music. I enjoyed that it mentioned when he played "I had a dream" in honour and a tribute to Martin Luther King Jr when he appeared on a TV show. What an amazing thing to do, especially considering the time period he did it in! Another amazing addition to this much loved series!

Such a cute and fun read for kids to learn about Elvis! I highly recommend!

"I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.”

#ElvisPresley #netgalley #booklover #Elvis

I love Elvis, and his music played in my family home when I was a child, so I was really happy to read this book. I really enjoyed reading about Elvis growing up and what his life was like from a young boy until he died. The graphics in the book are lovely, and I found the book really easy to read. I especially liked the photos of Elvis at the end, with a longer description about him, which I found really interesting. This is a great book, which I recommend highly. All Elvis lovers will enjoy reading this book to their children!

Many thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley for a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

The story of the world famous musician and artist, who were born in a shack, but with his experience, mashed up some style and created Rock & Roll. Amazing person who just didn't stop creating and performing and learning new things to spruce up his performance. Always love this series of great people who inspires many, in hope that the readers can pursue their own dreams.

I know this series is aimed for children but I love them and always learn something no matter how much I think I know already. Whilst I am more than aware of Elvis (who isn’t) I didn’t know much at all about him.
It must be quite tricky though to cover someone iconic when there are very mature themes which may need covering or glossing over. Given the target audience I think this book has done well and after all it’s about dreams and building people up so you want to see the positive life they lead and the positivity they had on others

I enjoyed this book and its addition to the series. However, there were some missing details from Elvis' life, especially when kids are old enough. It seemed overly juvenile considering the way the age of the readers.

This story beautifully illustrated the backstory of such a key figure for the music industry. It depicted some quite intense themes and events whilst still being entirely appropriate for its target audience- like all books in the series, this is achieved through its simple text combined with beautiful illustrations. I learned a lot from it as well as my younger brother who I was reading it with- another great addition to this series!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with an advanced ebook copy of this book!

Another great biography in this series with wonderful illustrations. Children will learn that Elvis was a fan of Martin Luther King and had a twin brother, facts most adults don’t know. This series should be required summer reading. Looking forward to the next person in this series.

Amazing as always! Cute illustrations and informative. Thank you so much to Netgalley, the publisher and Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review