2. With A Little Help from My Friends | Written by Lennon/McCartney and Illustrated by Paul Rogers
Reading Level: Ages 4-8
Publisher: Little Simon/ December 10, 2019
Brief Bio: John Lennon and Paul McCartney were songwriters and members of the Beatles. George Harrison and Ringo Starr completed the English rock band from Liverpool. They rose to fame in the 1960’s during the British Invasion. “With A Little Help from My Friends” was a cut on the ground-breaking “Sgt Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band” album released in 1967. Ringo Starr sings the lead on this classic.The album spent 15 weeks at #1 on the Billboard Chart in the US.
Credit: AP Images
Based on the Beatles song of the same title, “With A Little Help from My Friends” was released as a picture book just before Christmas in 2019. It is illustrated by Henry Cole, a former elementary school teacher with over fifty books for children to his credit.
This book beautifully illustrates a developing friendship between two little girls using the familiar lyrics of the Lennon/McCartney song. It’s a nice touch that one of the girls actually plays guitar and you can sing the lyrics while sharing it with your littles. What a great way to introduce another generation to this classic!
The pencil sketches, with a few artistically placed hints of color, capture one of life’s most endearing rights of passage, namely developing friendships. The storyline flows through the sketches of a new kid at school and proceeds to show how two little girls form an enduring bond. It hits all the right notes of a budding friendship, from catching minnows to roasting marshmallows together. The emotive illustrations lead us on a gentle journey that has an unexpected turn, but I don’t want to give the ending away.
I loved everything about this book and gifted it to my nephew, who is a huge Beatles fan at the tender age of 5. It just so happens that Ringo is his favorite Beatle and that made it extra-special. This book gets two thumbs up from him!
About the Blog Series: Rock Classics Turned Kidlit
As a children’s author, I’m always on the hunt for unusual books with unique messages. My latest intrigue explores rock songs that have transitioned into the children’s book market. There are quite a few in this genre, and many of them are part of my personal collection. Hope you enjoy reading this blog series as much as I enjoyed writing it!