Shake, Rattle & Turn That Noise Down!: How Elvis Shook Up Music, Me & Mom Read Free Books and Download eBooks
FOR HIS EIGHTH birthday, Mark Alan Stamaty’s parents gave him his very own radio. Little did his mother realize that that innocent-looking plastic box would one day be the gateway for a new kind of sound that would “rock” her nearly out of her mind. . . .Mark first heard the howling thunder of Elvis Presley singing “Hound Dog” on the radio one lazy day and his life was forever changed. Soon he was styling his hair like the King and practicing his dance moves with a tennis racket as his pretend guitar in front o f the mirror. But his mother lived in constant fear that her son’s new love of rock ’n’ roll would turn him into a juvenile delinquent. Could Mark’s performance at his Cub Scout talent show change her mind? --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.
Hardcover: 40 pages
Publisher: Knopf Books for Young Readers; 1 edition (January 12, 2010)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0375846859
ISBN-13: 978-0375846854
Product Dimensions: 9 x 0.4 x 11.3 inches
Shipping Weight: 13.6 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
Best Sellers Rank: #1,183,472 in Books (See Top 100 in Books) #36 in Books > Children's Books > Arts, Music & Photography > Music > Rock #79 in Books > Children's Books > Arts, Music & Photography > Music > History
Age Range: 3 - 7 years
Grade Level: Preschool - 2
Long ago, roundabout 1973 or so, a young Mark Alan Stamaty wrote a picture book. It was called "Who Needs Donuts?" and it remains, to this day, just the trippiest darn thing you ever did see. Trippy and remarkably beautiful. Somehow or other Stamaty was able to cram more tiny details in a single centimeter than most folks do on an entire page. It was like Peter Sis on angel dust. Since the publication of that book Mr. Stamaty has had various other titles for kids. Books like "Small in the saddle", "Minnie Maloney and Macaroni", and "Where's My Hippo?" More recently he's played about with graphic novels for kids, with titles like "Too Many Time Machines" and the remarkable "Alia's Mission: Saving the Books of Iraq". Now with his latest, Stamaty combines the graphic format with picture books, in the best little old autobiographical mash-up I've seen in quite some time. It may not have the sheer insanity of "Who Needs Donuts?", but "Shake, Rattle & Turn That Down" is definitely its descendant, and has a personal touch that kids everywhere should be able to connect to.Mark and his mom were pretty simpatico when it came to music when he was a kid. When she got him a radio for his birthday, he would listen to gentle melodies or classical tunes. But that was all before HE came along. His name was Elvis Presley. The first time Mark heard him "a howling thunder of sound exploded into my room, engulfing me in a hurricane of excitement." The first time his mom heard Elvis she "burst into my room looking like a cornered hostage in a vampire horror movie." And never the twain quite met. Mark's mother was convinced that this was a fad that would disappear. Meanwhile Elvis and other singers like him started to transform the face of popular music. Part personal memoir, part history lesson in music, part graphic novel, part picture book, Stamaty's personal history with "The King" is a touching story that anyone can relate to. Backmatter includes photos of young Mark, photos of older Mark, and a personal history that even discusses him doing his Elvis impression for the President of the United States.This is what a graphic novel is all about, people. Look at it. No lazy digital coloring slapped on without a second thought. No, Stamaty has utilized graphite, ink, gouache, watercolors, polymer paints, and even done in colored pencils to give each of these images the right texture and feel. Shirts and patterns are often colored pencils while the people's bodies are watercolors and the font of their words thick bright paints. And speaking of the fonts, no Comic Sans for this man. Oh no. Stamaty has meticulously drawn each letter of dialogue. If folks are just talking then the words are all capital letters in black ink. But when they shout or sing, suddenly the words take on a size and girth they never had before. Best of all are the layouts. Panels aren't just blocky squares. They become circular when they need to be, or take over entire pages. Sometimes, as when Mark hears Elvis for the first time, you've a full two-page spread to really drill home the excitement of the music. And the speech balloons! They start out normal, then expand and contract to an enormous degree. I love watching them curve around the action. The lyrics of music in particular are given a snaky quality, wrapping around the characters' dialogue. Amazing.And then there's Stamaty's way with people. Folks in this book have a tendency to talk to one another with their arms placidly at their sides. However, given just the right amount of stress or joy, they're all over the place. Little Mark's legs convey all the crazy Elvis gyrations to a beautiful degree. And then there's Mark's mom. Her sheer shrieking panic is a thing of beauty on the page. Just look at her. Her hands clutch her hair, as if to rip Elvis's very voice out of her skull. Even the refracted light in her glasses has turned into jagged points that seem to cling to her wide-open eyeballs. This is a woman on the verge of a nervous breakdown, and it's all thanks to Elvis.Interestingly, the book this reminded me the most of was "The Long Gone Lonesome History of Country Music" by Bret Bertholf. On the surface this might be because it's a non-fiction graphic novel picture book that seeks to teach kids about the history of music in some fashion. But both books also take a great deal of pleasure in drawing the faces of the famous folks of the time. Stamaty has a lot of fun showing everyone from Jerry Lee Lewis to Ray Charles to The Rolling Stones while Bertholf indulges in folks like Johnny Cash or Jake Tullock. The two would pair beautifully together for a historical music lesson. Each one catches the eye, though Stamaty stays in the realm of rock n' roll and Bertholf skews into full-blown country.Autobiographical graphic novels for young readers are still few and far between on library shelves these days. You'll get something like Raina Telegemeier's "Smile" or (heaven help us) David Small's "Stitches" but actual picture book comic adaptations are as rare as Elvis sightings. Stamaty's book, like all his titles, is a true original. From the beginning of his literary career he's done his own thing and made books that look, feel, and sound like nobody else's. Now he's written one that kids will enjoy thoroughly and maybe even accidentally come to learn something from. Elvis lives all right. In this book.Ages 4-9.
I heard a review of this book on the CBC Montreal's children's book panel. It's great fun! My 11-yr-old son (a reluctant reader) loves the graphics.
Reason for Reading: I entered a contest the author was running for a free copy because the book sounded so cool. I never heard back, knowing I'd not won, and honestly, forgot about the book when six months later I received a cool letter in the mail from the author with a postcard and an original drawing he'd made. I just had to read it after that!This is truly an amazing book and story that kids and their parents will love and their grand-parents may love even more! I think it's integral to the enjoyment that the child be aware of who Elvis is both through hearing his music and having seen footage of him performing to get the full effect of the story.The book starts with showing some difference in home life from 1955 and now and to emphasize how excited the author was to receive a radio for his birthday. How pleased his mother was to walk past his room and hear lovely band music coming from it until one day later the next year Elvis hit the airwaves and turned Mark onto the new music scene of "rock and roll". Well, mother flips out from the screeching noise emitting from the radio and we see the comparison in all our lives through ages of parents thinking that their children's music is noise compared to what they listed to as children themselves. Mark takes it a step further and combs his hair Elvis style and learns all his dance moves and words to his songs until eventually his Cub Pack puts on a skit at an annual dinner and they ask their resident Elvis to perform. The end of the book has some photographs of the author as a child and performing at the event as well as of him now turning into an Elvis impersonator.The book is a lot of fun with some actual laugh out loud moments. This is one that truly will be enjoyed by all ages. I imagine grandparents reading it to grandchildren will especially bond over the book. This is a must have for the classroom and the library. The graphic design of the book is appealing as well. Much of the book uses narrator style rectangles within frames with bubbles showing up here and there. He also has flowing rivers filled with lyrics or music notes emanating from radios and record players to denote music. The lettering is very large caps throughout with the occasional stylized word here and there. Stamaty's drawing style is eye-catching with his people not being quite proportional they look a bit short and squat with big heads. This disproportion is only slightly off so it only gives his characters just that extra bit of interest. I really enjoy the style.While the story is a lot of fun and kid's will relate to little Mark's feelings of parental frustration, idol worship and later performance anxiety it also contains quite a lot of information on the history of rock and roll: who the early pioneers were and how it was different from what came before. This is a keeper!
Mark Alan Stamaty is simply brilliant! His illustrations are so much fun and this book follows in the tradition of his classic work. This book is great for fathers and sons to share, as well as, grandparents and grandchildren. It is a great way to show how technology has changed and also how far rock music has come along since Elvis. It is also a good book to show kids how to be their own individual and not worry what others think about them. I also loved the inclusion of the Boy Scouts because it was such a part of my childhood because my brothers were so involved and I can't wait for my husband to share this story with our son when he is in scouting!
A delightful look back to the 1950s' generation gap and the history of rock & roll. Stamaty is at the top of his game. Recommended for kids and adults. I loved it!
My favorite children's book author (of the strangest picture book of all time: Who Needs Donuts) outdoes himself here. Pure full color pleasure on every page.
Fabulous book by a fabulous artist. Read everything by Stamaty! His is one of the most original minds in the art-book world.
Shake, Rattle & Turn That Noise Down!: How Elvis Shook Up Music, Me & Mom Mom Coloring Book: I Love You Mom: Beautiful and Relaxing Coloring Book Gift for Mom, Grandma, and other Mothers - Perfect Mom Gift for Birthday, Mother's Day and Other Special Occasions Shake, Rattle and Roll: The Founders of Rock and Roll All Shook Up: The Life and Death of Elvis Presley Elvis and Ginger: Elvis Presley's Fiancée and Last Love Finally Tells Her Story Elvis Presley : Life and Times of The King: Biography of Elvis Presley Careless Love (Enhanced Edition): The Unmaking of Elvis Presley (Elvis series Book 2) Shake Down: Jack Davis Mysteries, Book 1 Betrayal: How Union Bosses Shake Down Their Members and Corrupt American Politics Down, Down, Down: A Journey to the Bottom of the Sea Forgotten Drinks of Colonial New England:: From Flips and Rattle-Skulls to Switchel and Spruce Beer (American Palate) The Watchman's Rattle: A Radical New Theory of Collapse Drone, Glitch and Noise: Making Experimental Music on iPads and iPhones (Apptronica Music App Series Book 1) Black Noise: Rap Music and Black Culture in Contemporary America (Music/Culture) The Fauves : The Masters Who Shook the World of Art (Schools & Movements Series) All Shook Up: How Rock 'n' Roll Changed America (Pivotal Moments in American History) LIFE Titanic: The Tragedy that Shook the World: One Century Later Twenty Ads That Shook the World: The Century's Most Groundbreaking Advertising and How It Changed Us All What a Difference a Mom Makes: The Indelible Imprint a Mom Leaves on Her Son's Life Smart Mom, Rich Mom: How to Build Wealth While Raising a Family
