Biography

Elvis is King by Jonah Winter 

 

 Summary:

This is a biography about Elvis Presley, but told as a story, rather than a factual line-up. It starts when he born, through his middle school years, when he and his family are financially unstable. It talks about when he came into stardom and his relationships. The story ends with a note from the author that goes through more detailed facts of his life.

 

Evaluation:

The setting and plot of this story is the home, school, job of Elvis Presley when he was a child. The story takes place in Mississippi, Memphis and is told in chronological order. It is told as a story which is more likely to keep the attention of children.

The illustrations are really neat. They use outline style, but the characters almost appear to be made out of clay. They also use texture and bright colors to depict the emotions of the settings in the illustrations.

 

Activities:

One fun activity would be to have the children write a story based on their lives and have them includes facts about themselves and events/ memories they have.

Another fun activity would be to have them write a song/ poem and then share it with the class. This could be a group activity and the kids could work together in groups on this.

 

Personal Thoughts:

 As a child, I LOVED Elivs Presley so I especially enjoyed this book, this is something I would have loved to read as a child, because it was full as facts about him and his life, but they were told within a story rather than on a factual time line, which made is even more intriguing. 

What are your thoughts on biographies such as this one? Ones that include the facts but are told as a story rather then a time line? Do think they can cause confusion between fiction and nonfiction for children?