Introducing The Beatles to kids

New book for young readers: Fab Four Friends – The Boys Who Became The Beatles

We die-hard fans may know who John, Paul, George and Ringo were, as will a generation of baby boomers, and also that generation I belong to, kids who grew up in the seventies. People born in the seventies, growing up in the eighties will also be familiar with the fabulous foursome, thanks to Paul McCartney’s solo successes, George Harrison’s stray hit with “Got My Mind Set On You” and The Traveling Wilburys. People who grew up in the nineties may have caught the fever with the “Anthology TV”-series. Forty-five years after the Beatles broke up, their popularity remains undiminished, with 41.8 million likes on Facebook, 2.8 million Twitter followers, a ranking as the “most important band” on Wikipedia* and the #1 spot on Rolling Stone’s list of 100 Greatest Artists of All Time. But there are new generations who are no longer recognising those four names as a unity, the most popular pop/rock band ever.

A new book is going to try and remedy that, introduce the band to kids today. Fab Four Friends: The Boys Who Became the Beatles is a new picture book from Macmillan that introduces the next generation of fans to the story of John, Paul, George and Ringo. Focusing on the early years, written by author Susanna Reich and illustrated by Adam Gustavson, the book shows how four boys from Liverpool became the bestselling band in history.

Beatles biographer Bob Spitz calls the book “the perfect introduction to the mythic pop band — a thoughtful and delightful retelling that, like the Beatles, hits all the right notes.”

The book traces the Beatles’ roots through each boy’s childhood and teen years. Evocative language and richly-detailed paintings tell the story of the band from its earliest days as a skiffle group to its explosion onto the world stage.

It’s all here, from John and Paul’s meeting at St. Peter’s Church to George’s audition on a double-decker bus and Ringo’s early love of the drums. Heady nights in Hamburg, sweaty gigs in the Cavern Club, the adoration of hometown fans, the crush of being told that “guitar groups are on the way out,” the thrill of Beatlemania—this ultimate rock ‘n’ roll story will appeal to readers of all ages, the press release assures us.

To be released in hardcover on August 18, 2015 (13 September in the UK), the book looks for an audience whose age range is 6 – 10 years, and has 32 colourful pages.