Elvis for kids: The King gets the 'Little Golden Book' treatment. Here's a sneak peek.

Elvis Presley often topped the pop music charts, but he also is no stranger to the best-seller lists.

Whether promising scandalous revelations (Albert Goldman's "Elvis"), intimate secrets (Priscilla Presley's "Elvis and Me"), or a definitive reckoning (Peter Guralnick's two-volume biography), books about the so-called King of Rock 'n' Roll have made as much noise as many of Elvis' repackaged and remixed recordings.

There have been Elvis coloring books, Elvis memorabilia books and Elvis cookbooks (inevitably, Brenda Butler's "Are You Hungry Tonight?" includes a recipe for a fried peanut butter-and-"nana" sandwich). But the books that examine Elvis' life, from cradle to grave, mostly have been thick tomes aimed at adult readers.

That trend changes Sept. 3 with the publication of "Elvis Presley: A Little Golden Book Biography," the latest addition to a classic and familiar line of "picture books" that has been entertaining children since the publication of "The Poky Little Puppy" — still the best-selling children's book in the U.S. — in 1942.

"Getting to write a Little Golden Book is so amazing," said "Elvis" author Lisa Rogers, in a phone interview from her home in Wellesley, Massachusetts. "They're so iconic, and so popular. People love to read them because they know they're getting a quality book, with beautiful illustrations. It's something they can do with their children." (The "Elvis" illustrator is Luke Flowers, a Colorado Springs resident who also did the art for a recent Little Golden Book Biography of Steven Spielberg.)

Rogers, 64, said she grew up "in New Jersey, in Springsteen country," but she described herself as a lifelong Elvis enthusiast. “One of my earliest memories is of my two oldest sisters singing 'Hound Dog' and dancing around, and me trying to keep up with them," she said. "So he was part of my childhood from then on."

A newspaper reporter-turned-author, Rogers was recruited for "Elvis" (list price: $5.99) by editors at Penguin Random House, the publishing giant that owns Little Golden Books, after the success of her previous Little Golden Book Biography, "Ronald Reagan," from 2023.

She was tapped for the Reagan assignment because Random House representatives were impressed by her earlier works, which had introduced kids to two very influential modern artists who would seem to be unlikely candidates for the "picture book" treatment: William Carlos Williams, the Pulitzer Prize-winning poet; and avant-garde musician John Cage, whose 1952 composition "4'33" directs the onstage "performer" to play no instrument and make no noise for the piece's duration of 4 minutes and 33 seconds. Not exactly "a hunk-a hunk-a burnin' love."

The Williams book is titled "16 Words: William Carlos Williams and 'The Red Wheelbarrow'," while the Cage book is "Beautiful Noise: The Music of John Cage." Rogers said the Cage book is "all about listening and loving the world around you" — a theme that would seem to apply to "Elvis."

"The wonderful thing about writing for children, when you write something that's really true to your heart, it shows and they get it," she said.

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According to Random House, the Little Golden Book series has produced 1,400 titles in the past 82 years, with 834 currently in print. "Conceived as a way to make high-quality children's books affordable to the masses during the difficult years of World War II" (in the words of the World Class Antiques website), the books — originally 25 cents each — remain immediately recognizable due to their distinctive format: sturdy cardboard covers; bright illustrations; patterned golden binding along the spine; and a relatively compact size. Generally (as is the case with "Elvis"), a Little Golden Book is about 6.6 inches tall and 8 inches wide, and runs 24 pages.

The early Little Golden Books featured original stories ("Scuffy the Tugboat") or offered colorful versions of classic tales ("The Little Red Hen"), but eventually began showcasing characters from popular culture, such as Mickey Mouse and Rin Tin Tin. Now, "Sesame Street," "Star Wars," "Barbie" and Marvel Comics are among the media properties that provide source material.

In 2016, Little Golden Books launched its "Biography" line, which has exploded way beyond the world-changing-historical-figure category suggested by the first two volumes, devoted to George Washington and Abraham Lincoln. Subjects have ranged from Harriet Tubman to Lucille Ball; from the Bee Gees to Barack Obama; from Dwayne Johnson to "Dr. Fauci." Published in 2021, the Taylor Swift volume has sold more than a million copies, according to Random House, which explains why October will see the release of "The Kelcie Brothers: A Little Golden Book Biography," about the pro football siblings most famous because one of them (Travis) is dating Swift.

'Honored to write about Elvis'

Rogers said she began work on "Elvis" in October 2022, and "the whole project was a joy to research and write." She said she did extensive research, to determine which parts of the Presley story would be most interesting and suitable to young readers. "I read a lot of Commercial Appeal articles, the Press-Scimitar."

She was particularly mesmerized by the Elvis concert footage, she said. "It was just amazing to see the crowd react. The electricity of his performance, he was so sweet and charming — it's a joy."

Rogers acknowledge the Little Golden Book biographies, which are aimed at kids in the age range of 4 to 8, largely avoid the dark aspects of their subjects' stories. "Elvis," for example, doesn't deal with Presley's drug use or divorce.

“For that age, I don’t see anything wrong with giving kids a positive picture,” Rogers said. “For kids, they want to know how people became who they are. They are models for the kids. So we ask, what do we need to know about Elvis? Why is he famous? How did he get there? Why do we love Elvis? The hard stuff, that can be learned later.”

The book devotes almost half its length to Elvis' childhood and pre-fame years, the better to help kids identify with the once humble youth who became a "King." Rogers writes that Elvis was born in "a two-room house built by his daddy." She writes about the time Elvis, a toddler, "scooted out of his mother's lap" to run to the front of the church and join the choir. She talks about his first guitar and his performance at a talent show. Such homely details enable "the reader to see themselves in these books," she said. "They might not become Elvis, but they can see how someone achieves what they achieve."

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With a speed that matches the singer's own ascent, the second half of the book charts the life of Elvis the star: "Heartbreak Hotel," the Army, Priscilla, Hollywood, jumpsuits, and so on. As "Elvis" reports: "... Elvis was declared the king of this new music. But Elvis didn't think he was a king. His mama taught him to be kind, respectful and humble."

The final page notes: "Elvis died on Aug. 16, 1977, at his beloved Graceland... The boy who was once too shy to sing in public became a legend."

"I'm just honored to have been able to write about him," Rogers said, "and share the joy that Elvis had, and the heart, with young readers."

This article originally appeared on Memphis Commercial Appeal: Elvis the focus of new Little Golden Book: Here's a first look