The Beatles Were Fab (and They Were Funny) by Kathleen Krull

The Beatles Were Fab (and They Were Funny) Reviews

• 
  Kelly

  This book is okay. However, the fact that The Beatles' sound was inspired by African American music should ALWAYS be stated--no matter if it's a book for adults or children. Books that constantly leave this all-important FACT out, are definitely NOT funny.
  
  Sorry, but I tell it like it is. Whitewashing can take place at any level.
• 
  Tina

  Beatle picture books, yeah yeah yeah!
• 
  Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy)

  This was an excellent picture book biography.
• 
  Liz

  Cute!!
• 
  Cynthia

  This is a children's book. It is written as a very brief introduction to The Beatles; focusing primarily on their early years. Because it is a children's book, it doesn't dive into what influenced The Beatles style of music. The writing is kept light and interesting for children - to give them a budding interest in the music and of John, Paul, George, and Ringo. The illustrations are lively and eye-catching.
  
  A must read for Beatles fans of all ages.
• 
  Tasha

  This is a picture book biography of The Beatles that captures their humor and the way that they used it in their music and lifestyle. The book begins with the formation of the band and the fun they had naming themselves. The book talks about their use of silliness and jokes to keep their spirits up as they struggled to make it, looking for a record deal. When success came, it came quickly and with success came fame and fans. Then there was the Beatlesmania craze that swept the United States, nothing like it had been seen before or since. Krull includes some small details like American fans throwing jellybeans on stage because the band said they liked jellybabies, but jellybabies are soft where jellybeans are certainly not. She then has a section on each Beatle and some of the interesting responses they gave during interviews. This is a merry and fast-moving look at one of the greatest bands of all time.
  
  Krull injects her nonfiction work with humor and zest. She tells specific stories that offer insight into the Beatles nature. It is a treat to hear their own words but it is also wonderful to read about moments in history that are revealing about their character. Krull and Brewer skillfully end the book before drug use became an issue for the band. Instead they focus on the early Beatles and their humor rather than the complexity of the later Beatles music and attitudes.
  
  Innerst’s illustrations are just as humorous and playful as the stories that Krull and Brewer tell. The characters have a feel of bobble-heads and a strong modern vibe. She uses bright colors that match the energy of the text. I have to say, I am particularly partial to Ringo’s nose in the illustrations.
  
  This strong picture book biography is not made for research, but instead fans of the Beatles can share part of their story with children and everyone is sure to end up humming some of the songs. Appropriate for ages 6-9.
  
• 
  Barbara

  Do we still love them? Yeah, yeah, yeah! Those of us who grew up alongside the Beatles can recall when it was practically impossible to avoid hearing their music on the airwaves. Although I remember all the attention paid to their arrival in the United States and their appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show, I can also remember how their music evolved over time. Unlike some of my classmates during Beatlemania, I didn't have a crush on one of the band members, though, preferring the music as a whole. Why am I sharing this memories? This fab new picture book will return readers to the 1960s when the Beatles arrived on the music scene, and everything started to change. The authors briefly mention Liverpool, where John, Paul, Ringo, and George grew up, but mostly she shares humorous moments from their rise to fame. By doing so, they give readers glimpses into their personalities and their reactions to this unbelievable occurrence. The text and the acrylic and ink illustrations abound with playful moments, symbols, physical characteristics, and scenes that die-hard fans and new fans will enjoy. For instance, their fans in this country threw jelly beans onto the stage when they were performing to show their love. I love how the next-to-last illustration shows the four men striding off into the future, their metamorphosis into different individuals just starting. It's highly likely that adults will savor this book while sharing it with the next generation or the next and listening to all those songs that reached number one on the record charts. While the authors eschew the unsavory details behind the band's break-up, a list of references provides more reading for the curious.
• 
  Mark

  A fun and informative book, focusing on the early years of the band's formation and world domination. The illustrations are masterful, and this might be a book that starts to draw my preteen daughter toward the band's music.
• 
  Marissa Morrison

  Great read-aloud with a second grader, with lots of funny quotes from the Beatles and opportunities to burst into song.
• 
  Ella Schilling

  Another Beatles picture book! They are so much fun to read. This one features stellar acrylic paintings in the loose but encapsulative style of Picasso. Click
  here to see what I mean!
  
  INSANE LEVEL OF RESEARCH AND DETAIL INTO THE MINUTIAE
  - The Rainbows? The Pieces of Eight? This is Lewisohnian-level depth of research. Well done!
  - Crikey. The 17 or 18 takes for “Love Me Do”. Deep research indeed!
  - The red horse necktie motif — TO QUOTE FROM THE
  BIBLE ITSELF:
  
  George Martin did not instantly appreciate the joke (he was, he says, rather proud of his tie, black with a red horse motif, bought at Liberty’s) and the younger George would remember a fleeting tension: “There was a moment of ohhhhh, but then we laughed and he did too. Being born in Liverpool you have to be a comedian."
  
  - I'm losing my MIND with the level of accuracy and detail. TUNE IN was first published OCTOBER of 2013. This came out in MARCH. So this info definitely was not handed to the authors on a silver platter. Though of course, research in the 21st century is usually a breeze, given our immediate access to the interwebs.
  
  - George’s beautiful cherry red
  Chet Atkins Country Gentleman, with the two knobs on left, one on right, with the double pickups and wavy white pick guard. It is depicted accurately here. That's just one great example of many. Stacy Innerst (the illustrator) got John’s lighter-coloured hair. Overall— accurate depictions of all the Beatles, including their clothes, postures, instruments and more!
  
  The perspective of the acrylic paintings…. it’s so evocative… and the charm and creativity and reimagining! Innerst will isolate a key, pivotal moment, bring it to the forefront, and paint it with drama. Also: the Ed Sullivan caricature is hilarious.
  
  EVEN MORE DETAIL!
  - The composition of “Bad to Me”
  - “She loves you, yes, yes, yes”
  - “Rattle your jewelry”
  - “We love you Beatles, oh yes we do”
  - The selling of cut-up hotel sheets
  - “Policeman bit my head off” (The quote is in Anthology, apparently. I hadn't heard of it before. I still have to get my hands on that bleedin' coffee table book!)
  - There's a quote, “We went to Greenland and made a left turn.”, that is attributed to Ringo. But who can forget Lennon’s classic “Turn left at Greenland!” quote? Now I'm confused. Did they both make essentially the same quip about Greenland when asked how they’d found America? Who said it first?
• 
  Miss Ryoko

  This book reminded me why I love the Beatles so much - they're music is fantastic, and it is an understatement (in my opinion) to say they were musically creative - but what I love most about them is how hilarious and witty they are. All four of them have such great wit and humor. They're movies are wonderful for this, but the quotes in this book were so great and so them. Love me the Fab Four that's for sure!
• 
  Suebee

  I enjoyed this book as a follow-up to "Who Were the Beatles?," which I read in order to teach my art/music class at homeschool co-op. I liked that it really captured the humorous spirit of the Beatles. Readers who are wanting a more factual account of their career and lives should check out "Who Were the Beatles?," however, because this book is limited on facts and dates. I was not hugely impressed by the illustrations.
• 
  Ami

  Funny picture book with great illustrations that discussed the early years of the Beatles' careers. I love a lot of the Beatles' music, so my daughter recognized some of the songs which made her enjoy this book that much more.
• 
  Bill

  A cute and charming book with nice illustrations. Clearly a book intended for children focused on how the Beatles were funny. But since it's a Beatles' book and my daughter knows I love all things Beatles, she gave this to me as part of my birthday gift. So I read it!
• 
  Laura Cushing

  A beautifully illustrated children's introduction to the Beatles. Picked up at a library book sale to donate to my friends children's book collection project.
• 
  Stephanie Molnar

  Nice beginning but then it just abruptly ends.
• 
  Lynn A. Davidson

  This is a brief history of the famous rock-and-roll band The Beatles. Very interesting facts and funny comments. Great illustrations.
• 
  Vern

  Fun little book. Would have liked something about influences. And rooftop concert.
• 
  Viviane Elbee

  Great book about the Beatles! Would recommend to young Beatles fans, music fans, and to people who enjoy non-fiction biographies.
• 
  I Contain

  Very fun book for ME to read as a mega Beatles fan, however I can't really see how a child might enjoy it unless they were subjected constantly to a parent's fandom.
• 
  Klaudia Janek

  Recommended [return][return]An illustrated historical picture book about The Beatles. The book starts out with a quote before the title page by Kurt Vonnegut who said, “A plausible mission of artists is to make people appreciate being alive at least a little bit. [When] asked if I know of any artists who puled that off, I reply, ‘The Beatles did.” Not sure if younger children would appreciate the quote, but I thought it was really powerful. The book starts out in the 1950’s in Liverpool during hard times, but music made life better. John, Paul, George and Ringo were lifelong friends who liked to make music, joke around and have a good time. They named themselves in the 1960’s and dreamed of getting to the top. Beatlemania is introduced along with the fact that they the first rock group that played for the British Royal Family. In 1964, The Beatles received a telegram that “I want to hold your hand” made the number one spot in the US. The concept of a telegram might have to be explained at this point in the book. When The Beatles landed in New York, they made their first US television appearance on the Ed Sullivan Show. It was the most watched TV show in history. They were in for a crazy ride! They went from playing in smoky bars to holding the largest concert in history in Shea Stadium in New York for 55,600 fans. The Beatles then returned to the studio and recorded more than 200 songs together. Their music is still making an impact.[return]This was a very informative picture book. It’s presented in a simple way with well done research and art. This book is a must have for Beatles fans. I think that a lot of children are aware of The Beatles, especially since there was a Rock Band version of Beatles music. I think the illustrations evoke the 1960’s. The jellybeans on the inside covers are explained throughout the story. The caricatures of the band members do represent them in a silly way, which goes along with the idea that they liked to joke and have fun all the time. I’m not sure that younger students would appreciate the impact The Beatles had on music history, but maybe that just comes later after they do more research. There is a nice timeline and list of sources at the end of the book.[return]This would make for a great read during silent reading in the library or classroom. It’s a little too detailed for a read aloud. Some background information might have to be given to younger children. I do agree with the other reviews that students should listen to some of The Beatles songs to understand what they were about. Maybe watch some video of what the concerts looked like and how Beatlemania looked. It’s a good example of historical fiction. It might also work for a biography unit (even though it covers four people) or a decades project on the 1960s-70s. This would be a great addition to the elementary school library or even a middle/high school library.
• 
  Amy Ackerman

  Twin Text: Bats in the Band by Brian Lies, 2014
  
  Rational: Bats in the Band is a good pair for The Beatles Were Fab (and They Were Funny) because both books are about bands. By starting with a fun book with cute characters, I will be able to grab the attention of the students. This is important because many young students have never heard of the Beatles. They will learn about the Beatles, but also how the music makes people feel. “It’s as though our souls are singing.” (p.12) (Lies, 2014) This is a vital part of music that is also shared in the nonfiction text. “For decades after, their music would inspire people to sing along, dance, love, remember, cry, think, imagine- and laugh.”(p.30) (Krull & Brewer, 2013)
  
  Text Structure: The Beatles Were Fab (and They Were Funny) uses descriptive text and chronological sequence to share the story of the Beatles. The text tells the story of the rise of the band, but also provides some insight into each member’s personality. The author includes a timeline at the end of the book for the reader. The illustrations in the book help the reader visualize the information given in the book.
  
  Literacy Strategy: I would use a webbing reading strategy with students for this book. First, I would read Bats in the Band. We would begin the web with “band” in the center. With student input, I would write words around the web relating to the main topic. Then I would read The Beatles Were Fab (and They Were Funny). The class would revisit our web and see if the words we wrote also applied to the band the Beatles. At this point, we would need to stop and determine how to organize the information. In the center would be “bands.” We would separate the rest of the web into two sections- “the Beatles” and “other bands.” Around the topic “the Beatles”, the class would brainstorm all the specific things they could remember from the book about the Beatles. For an extension activity, the students would draw a picture of themselves in an imaginary band and write two to three sentences describing their band.
  
• 
  Viv

  For non-Americans like myself, who didn't grow up knowing much about history and culture of American rock and pop music, this book is very entertaining and fun to read and got me wanted to listen to Beatles music. Of course, then I would soon find out, I hear their songs, ALL THE TIMES!! For anyone who already love the Beatles for years (or all their lives), this book would bring back the old memeories of chasing your favorite celebrity around the town, clipping every news about them, or crying while listening to their music.
  
  This book is a "must-have" in any public library's children's room. I can picture myself doing a booktalk with this book at a classroom visit, with their songs playing in the background or singing Twist and Shout with the class! I really enjoy reading about how they came to be who they were, how they tried to look at life and adjusted themselves to the sudden fame with amuesement and laughter instead of getting into drug/sex addiction, in and out the rehab like taking a walk in the park, alcoholism, dating weird people and breaking up and doing weird things....
  
  The Beatles didn't just revolutionize the history of rock n' roll, they redefine the meaning of music in people's lives.
  
  They are a band that every generation will always talk about, as long as there's human race, and they are the band that everyone on Earth must know about. And this book will do just that -- introduce the most important and famous band on planet Earth to youngsters.