Elvis Presley's Love Me Tender [Hardcover]

Elvis Presley (Author), Vera Matson (Author), Tom Browning (Illustrator)

Book Description

Age Level: 1 and up

Love me tender, love me sweet;
Never let me go.
You have made my life complete,
And I love you so.

Elvis Presley first sang "Love Me Tender" in the 1956 film of the same name. It was Presley's big screen debut and launched a stellar movie career. But it was the song, which Elvis co-wrote, that people took to their hearts. It is still one of his most popular. Now paired with Tom Browning's beautifully rendered paintings, these moving lyrics become a testament to the unconditional love between parent and child. A birthday, a walk in the park, that first tentative bike ride, and other special moments shared between a father and daughter make Elvis Presley's Love Me Tender an album full of precious memories.

Editorial Reviews

From School Library Journal

Kindergarten-Grade 2-More than 40 years after Elvis Presley sang this hit as a love song, its words have been reinterpreted as a tribute of a father's love for his daughter. Beautiful parent-and-child moments are captured in Browning's oil paintings-events as ordinary as bath and reading time as well as special occasions like picnics, a birthday, and skiing. The illustrations are the real treasure of this book. An Elvis CD is included, but you don't really need it. Just read the words and let the pictures speak for themselves.
Jane Marino, Scarsdale Public Library, NY
Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information, Inc.

About the Author

Elvis Presley (1935–1977) was a talented musician, singer, and actor. He was widely acclaimed as The King of Rock 'n' Roll and had an unprecedented total of 114 Top-40 hits. His runaway success continues to make his music popular to this day. He is a true legend in music history.

Bruce Whatley is the author and illustrator of many popular and award-winning books, including Whatley's Quest and Detective Donut and the Wild Goose Chase, which he co-wrote with Rosie Smith. He is also the illustrator of The Teddy Bears' Picnic, There Ain't No Bugs on Me, and The Night Before Christmas. Mr. Whatley lives with his wife, Rosie, and their children, Ellyn and Ben, in Meredith, NH.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 1 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins (April 15, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060277971
• ISBN-13: 978-0060277970
• Product Dimensions: 11.6 x 8.9 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (11 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #110,085 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #86 in Books > Children's Books > Arts, Crafts & Music > Music

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A MASTERPIECE, August 11, 2003

By 

Carl Savich (Detroit, MI, USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Elvis Presley's Love Me Tender (Hardcover)

The illustrations of the lyrics to Elvis Presley's classic song LOVE ME TENDER by illustrator Tom Browning are remarkable. Browning has done an amazing job. LOVE ME TENDER is one of the greatest ballads of the twentieth century. It is easily one of the most poignant and endearing love songs. LOVE ME TENDER is a song everyone knows. Tom Browning has brought the lyrics to life with his illustrations.

Elvis Presley recorded LOVE ME TENDER on August 24, 1956 and performed it on the Ed Sullivan show. The record was no. 1 for 5 weeks on Billboard in 1956 and is a multi-platinum seller. (Actor Richard Chamberlain and Percy Sledge also had Top 40 hits with cover versions of the song in the 1960s.) The song originally was part of the Twentieth-Century Fox Cinemascope movie of the same name. The producers originally wanted to call the movie THE RENO BROTHERS but changed the movie title to LOVE ME TENDER after hearing the song. The song was published by Elvis Presley Music and was written by Ken Darby (who won a Grammy in 1959 and three Academy Awards and was nominated for another three Oscars for film music) and Elvis Presley. Darby had formed The King's Men vocal group in 1928 and had written the vocal arrangements for the MGM movie classic The Wizard of Oz. He also created the speeded-up Munchkin voices and provided the voice of the Munchkinland Mayor in the movie. Vera Matson, listed as a co-writer, was actually the wife of Ken Darby, Vera Darby, using her maiden name on the songwriting credit. Ken Darby was the "principal writer" but Elvis Presley worked on the song in the studio, playing piano and guitar, and was instrumental in the creation of the final song. The melody is an adaptation of a Civil War era song called Aura Lee published in 1861 with lyrics by W.W. Fosdick and music by George R. Poulton. The movie took place during the Civil War period so the song was perfect. Elvis Presley gave one of his most powerful vocal performances when he recorded LOVE ME TENDER. The performance is pensive and haunting and is the reason why the song became a classic. Elvis Presley put all the subdued emotion he could into the song. The result was spectacular. LOVE ME TENDER is one of Elvis Presley's greatest artistic creations. It is also one of his greatest performances and has become a part of Americana and musical legend.

Tom Browning brings out the poignancy of the lyrics and captures the power of the song. This book is highly recommended.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Elvis Presley Book, February 8, 2008

By 

Anna S. Thomas "ast" (Flint, Mi) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Elvis Presley's Love Me Tender (Hardcover)

The book is very sweet but will have value for a small audience, fathers with little girls or Elvis fans

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love Love Me Tender, May 17, 2005

By 

Chandra Hanes "chaneden" (VA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Elvis Presley's Love Me Tender (Hardcover)

We all know the lyrics, but in a different context. This beautifully illustrated book made me cry way before I got to the end.

This would be a perfect gift for a single father with a daughter, as all the illustrations are a man and girl together, but any child would love to hear this book read (or sung...you can't help it!) to them by anyone. Father, Mother, Aunt, Grampa...doesn't matter.

My father died when I was 15. I look for books to read with my children that have words that they will keep their hearts forever if anything ever happens to me or their dad. This will be a book we'll sing together for a long, long time. I can't recommend it enough.