Children have always been intrigued by music's greatest, from the classics to jazz to rock and roll. These new books for young readers chronicle some of music's finest, most innovative icons.

"Elvis: The Story of the Rock and Roll King" by Bonnie Christensen; Henry Holt; 32 pages; $16.99.

Youngsters will love knowing that before Elvis Presley became the King of Rock and Roll, he was a shy kid in the south who used music as his salvation and way out of poverty. With a flowing verse-style prose and colorful pencil sketches that sway like Presley's rocking songs, Bonnie Christensen's ode to Elvis' early life is spot-on. Kids will enjoy learning all about how Elvis started his singing in church, and then at fair and school contests with a guitar he got for his 11th birthday.

Along with the appealing artwork, Christensen perfectly captures the feeling of Elvis' early tunes and how he meshed gospel, country, jazz and blues to create his own style that brought together classes and races and lifted peoples' spirits. With the gorgeous picture book ending somewhere in the 1950s, the back of the book includes an author's note and detailed timeline (from birth to death).

Christensen was smart to use this quote from another musical icon, Leonard Bernstein — "Elvis is the greatest cultural force in the 20th century. He introduced the beat to everything - music, language, clothes; it's a whole new social revolution — the 60s comes from it." High and worthy praise indeed for a star who deserved it.

"Frankie Liked to Sing" by John Seven; pictures by Jana Christy; Abrams; 32 pages; $16.95.

Another mid-century singing icon — though his hips didn't cause as much ruckus as Elvis' — Frank Sinatra was the blue-eyed voice of America and one of the best-selling musical artists of all time. Sinatra popularized many standard songs, but sang them with gusto and feeling and swagger. This fun picture book introduces Frankie as a child, who "was scrawny and his mom liked to dress him up fancy." Frank sang at his dad's saloon and his mom's parties and at school, where he kept kids from studying. He kept singing as a young adult, bought a microphone and decided, after seeing Bing Crosby perform, that he could fill an even bigger theater. And he did just that, after moving to New York City and being put on the radio, where girls started to swoon and big men cried when hearing Frank sing.

A testament to how far the belief in oneself can go, John Seven's motivating look at how one star was born is zesty and cool. Jana Christy's retro-appealing illustrations are happy and suave. The Chairman of the Board would be proud.

"Fab Four Friends: The Boys Who Became the Beatles" by Susanna Reich; illustrated by Adam Gustavson; Henry Holt; 40 pages; $17.99.

I learned a lot about the Beatles' early years in Susanna Reich's explanatory children's book, especially about how both John and Paul both dealt with the loss of their mothers and how Elvis influenced them greatly. The pair formed a band called the Quarreymen, and taught themselves to "bash away" on their guitars, and got even luckier when they brought on Paul's friend George, who really knew the guitar. Still, it was a long and winding road to success, which finally happened after they found fab drummer Ringo Starr.

With detailed artwork from Adam Gustavon, who paints uncanny portraits of the lads, Reich's fascinating picture book is incredulous enough for older readers, too. With a personalized author's note, glossary that includes English terms such as Scousers, (people from Liverpool), and Teddy Boys, (guys in 1950s England who wore clothes named after King Edward VII), plus super cool quotes, notes and sources, "Fab Four Friends" is a picture book biography extraordinaire.

"How Jelly Roll Morton Invented Jazz" by Jonah Winter; illustrated by Keith Mallett; Roaring Brook Press; 32 pages; $17.99.

"Let's say you had a godmother, and she put a spell on you because she was a voodoo queen," begins this ultra-cool singsongy biography of a New Orleans piano player who played a big part in inventing jazz music. Odds were against the headstrong Jelly Roll Morton, for sure, and as for the great-grandmother he lived with? Well she wasn't a fan, "And when you told her where you'd been and how you made your money," (playing piano in bars), "she told you she wouldn't have no LOWLIFE MUSICIAN livin' under her respectable roof." Still, Jelly Roll learned the guitar, the drums, the trombone and also became the best ragtime and jazz piano player in New Orleans, for sure. He also tooted his own horn, and claimed to be the first person to use the word jazz. Toot-toot!

It's very hard to write normally while reviewing this book. Jonah Winter's bee-bopping chronicle is so groovy, so rhythmic, it's "spectacularamicus!" (a word within his recipe for jazz, made like a big pot of Creole gumbo stew).

In the end, Winter testifies maybe Jelly Roll didn't invent jazz "'cause it took a lot of cooks to make that stew...but he sure did spread it around the towns." An author's note at the end explains how Jelly Roll Morton (might have) invented jazz, and that he certainly never got the recognition he deserved for his part in it. Thankfully, due to music historian Alan Lomax and books like this, the colorful, talented Jelly Roll Morton lives on and yes, "he just might have invented jazz."

To find out more about Lee Littlewood, and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate Web page at www.creators.com.

Photo credit: Phil Roeder