Dazzlin' Dolly: The Songwriting, Hit-Singing, Guitar-Picking Dolly Parton

by Suzanne Slade (Author) Edwin Fotheringham (Illustrator)

Dazzlin' Dolly: The Songwriting, Hit-Singing, Guitar-Picking Dolly Parton
Reading Level: 2nd − 3rd Grade

This inspirational and dazzlin' story of Dolly Parton--noted singer, songwriter, and humanitarian--follows her rise to fame, from her beginnings in East Tennessee to performing to thousands at the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville.

Dolly is a little girl with a BIG voice. Music fills Dolly's heart so plumb full she has to let it out! She'll even sing to her cornhusk dolls or a pen full of pigs. She makes her own drum from a pot and her own guitar from a broken mandolin. But what Dolly dreams of is performing for a real audience--people who would hear her sing, and applaud! And when she gets her big break at age ten, the soul-singin' and big-dreamin' Dolly discovers she's scared to sing on stage in front of all those people. Will she summon up all of her courage and make it to the stage of the Grand Ole Opry in Nashville? Young readers will learn about Dolly's early history, her endless creativity, and her plucky perseverance in this entertaining picture book that's perfect for fans of all ages.

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Hardcover
$18.99

Kirkus Reviews

A new generation will understand why we will always love this iconic singer/songwriter.

Review quotes

A title brimming with love for a favorite country music star. Slade's text includes quotes from Parton and adopts a down-home voice for the narration as she returns to Dolly's Tennessee roots to tell her rags-to-riches coming-of-age story....Fotheringham incorporates symbols and motifs...that are important to Parton's career or figure prominently in her lyrics, which will delight those familiar with her catalog. A new generation will understand why we will always love this iconic singer/songwriter. —Kirkus Reviews

The tale of Dolly Parton's rise to fame is one of rags to riches, in which a resourceful and determined young girl is able to make it big...Readers will find a lot of charm here, and the illustrations bring one back to the period, into the rural Tennessee mountains, and ultimately to the big city, where Dolly finally finds fame. —Booklist

Young readers will be inspired by this story of a girl who always knew what she wanted, and didn't let difficult circumstances, or setbacks like stage fright, stand in her way....an entertaining look at a true national treasure that should be included in classroom and library biography collections in need of some contemporary heroes. Readers in grades 2-5 will enjoy learning about Dolly's childhood (even if they aren't necessarily fans of her music), and it will be valuable for biography research projects as well. —Youth Services Book Review

Suzanne Slade weaves an engaging account of Dolly Parton's music-filled childhood in the Tennessee mountains, her first appearance on the Grand Ole Opry as a thirteen-year-old, and her move to Nashville after high school. Beautifully illustrated by Edwin Fotheringham, this charming book will inspire young readers to nurture and follow their own dreams, just as Dolly did. —Lydia Hamessley, professor of music at Hamilton College and author of Unlikely Angel: The Songs of Dolly Parton
Suzanne Slade
Suzanne Slade is a mechanical engineer who worked on Delta IV rockets for NASA. She has written more than one hundred children's books, including Dangerous Jane; Out of School and Into Nature: The Anna Comstock Story; The Inventor's Secret: What Thomas Edison Told Henry Ford; Friends for Freedom: The Story of Susan B. Anthony & Frederick Douglass; and The House That George Built. Suzanne lives near Chicago.

Alan Marks has been fascinated by space since watching the Apollo moon missions as a child. He is now the illustrator of many books for children, including The People of the Town, High Tide for Horseshoe Crabs, Behold the Beautiful Dung Beetle, Little Lost Bat, A Mother's Journey, and Storm, winner of the Carnegie Medal. www.marksonpaper.co.uk
Classification
Non-fiction
ISBN-13
9781635928419
Lexile Measure
900
Guided Reading Level
-
Publisher
Calkins Creek Books
Publication date
September 20, 2022
Series
-
BISAC categories
JNF007040 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Music
JNF007120 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Biography & Autobiography | Women
JNF036000 - Juvenile Nonfiction | Music | General
Library of Congress categories
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