Forever Young

Love the book, but not happy with the service.
The professional, paper book cover was delivered wrinkled and torn.
I needed for a gift, so I emailed right away, but received no response.
The system that is supposed to handle problems, definitely needs to be updated and be made more "people who have given you years of service" user friendly. This one should have definitely been replaced, especially since it was given in memory of a great, "guitar-playing virtuoso, who went to heaven far too young."

For some reason beyond me, my son is obsessed with Bob Dylan. He first came across him in a guitar encyclopedia and wouldn’t let us flip away from the page about Dylan’s Martin guitar. We now listen to Dylan in the car non-stop, and for a 2 year old, my son does a pretty good impression of Blowing in the Wind. So, when I pulled this book out of the shelves in the library, I was beyond excited to read it to him.

Not only has he memorized the song at this point, but so have I! This is one of those books which both parents and kids would enjoy. As a history lover, and fan of the 1960s-70s music, I got a kick out of reading this book and finding the secret illustrations and text which harken back to the Hippie days.

We have fun reading this book! We discussed JFK, Elvis Presley, Woodie Guthrie, and Martin guitars. I love that this book tells the story of a young man in the counter-culture time, and how he stays true to himself. It’s a sweet book, with a lovely message - to stay forever young and true to yourself.

The illustrations are clear and not too-cartoonish, and the story is actually easy to follow - which isn’t always easy to do when lyrics are turned into a kid’s book.

We have renewed this book already many times, and even asked for it as a birthday gift. I always look forward to reading (singing) this at bedtime!

Bob Dylan's evergreen popular song "Forever Young' has been brought to new heights by the illustrations of Paul Rogers. In this beautifully designed book the words of Dylan's song are spread across pages enhanced by Rogers' fine art, bringing a sense of new and fresh meaning to children as well as capturing the essence of the period during which Bob Dylan wrote this much loved song. Using the phrases 'May you grow up to be righteous,/ May you grow up to be true finds the hero fist-bumping an African-American school chum; May you have a strong foundation/ When the winds of changes shift captures him on the front lines of a peace demonstration', Rogers illustrates more than the words: he conjures the atmosphere with his colorful line drawings - a style that will mesmerize children and allow them to absorb the meaning as though by osmosis.

Paul Rogers has hit on a fine line of books with his using music to create visual images. His books are beautiful to look at, exceptionally well designed so that the word/lyric placement is right where the emphasis should be, and the final result is an art book for children with gentle emphasis on philosophy. This book should be part of every child's library. Grady Harp, February 12

"Forever Young" has always been one of my favorite Bob Dylan songs.It has a sweet yet wistful emotional sentiment about our hopes and dreams for the people we love. Over seventeen years ago, this was the first song my new wife and I danced to on our wedding day. On a day like that, there are lots of hopes and dreams. Eight years ago, I was blessed with a healthy, happy new son. More hopes and dreams.

Recently, my son and I were browsing in the local bookstore, when we came apon in the children's section, the book "Forever Young". I seem to know instantly that this book was perfect for us. This is a beautifully illustrated book, which brings to life Bob Dylan's classic, poetic lyrics. The book's illustrations portray a young boy receiving his first guitar and how he grows up playing it, against the backdrop of 1960's Greenwich Village. The illustrations are littered with lots of references to Dylan's biographical history, songs, influences and other icons of the 1960's decade. Illustrator, Paul Rogers has done a wonderful job with this book. His illustrations and pictorial storytelling seem to mesh perfectly with Dylan's lyrics, creating just the right emotional feeling of the hopes and dreams we have for our children.

I am lucky to have a young son, who shares my deep interest in both music and history. We love going through the book together and I get to explain to him the historical/cultural references found throughout the illustrations.I love talking to my son about Greenwich Village, Woody Guthrie, Cafe Wha?, Jack Kerouc, The Beatles and the peace movement. It gratifies me to know that he takes an interest in this. Furthermore, my son has questioned me about some of the meaning behind Bob Dylan's lyrics. We had a whole conversation about the meaning of what it ment to be "righteous".

Usually, my son and I look at the book before bedtime. Sometimes I read it to him. Other times we read along as we play the Dylan or Joan Baez (Her live album, "From Every Stage") versions of the song. One time after playing the Baez version, my son looked up at me and said, "Daddy, sometimes I feel funny, when I hear this song. I feel funny inside". His eyes were welling up, holding back tears. Though he couldn't exactly put into words what he was feeling, I knew exactly what he saying.

Beautiful words. Beautiful Illustrations. A wonderful book. If your a Dylan fan, you and your child will enjoy this book together.

As pretty big Dylan fan, I admit I was not aware of this book, but then one day recently I saw this in my local library and of course picked it up immediately. The book was in the kids section of the library, I might add, and I only happen to see it by chance, walking by (my kids are grown and out of the house). I was quite intrigued.

"Forever Young" (40 pages) brings in essence 15 large illustrations (each spread over 2 pages) that illustrate certain aspects of Bob Dylan's life and songs, and it is a delight to look at. The book is obviously intended for young kids, to be read along with their parents, and to be introduced to the world (or at least certain aspects) that Dylan experienced in the early years. But for us adults, this book becomes a "Where's Walda" in a way, in that the illustrations contain a lot of "clues" as to Dylan songs and the sixties and seventies era. Illustrator Paul Rogers was kind enough to provide a summary guide of sorts at the end, explaining the illustrations, but emphasizing that he didn't explain all the clues, and to look for more in the illustrations. Nicely done.

In all, this is a welcome addition to the wealth of Bob Dylan books out there, in a very surprising and endearing kind of way. Highly recommended for adults and younger ones alike!

I love Bob Dylan. I have a little collection of this and that including this book. This is not even worth having. The illustrations are poorly done and all it is is the words of the song with some poorly drawn pictures. As much as he is my idol DO NOT waste your money on this. Disappointed does not begin to tell the story. This is a bad joke!

Forever Young is Paul Roger's latest kids' book about the song Forever Young by Bob Dylan's 1972 album Planet Waves. It seems as of late Bob Dylan has found new fame and this book will introduce many kids to Bob's great body of work. Many will cringe at Bob's voice, however, his lyrical landscape of words have evoked many generations of writers and musicians. This brave step by Paul Rogers into kids' literature is a fresh approach on how Dylan's songs easily transcend into graphical interaction with kids. The art is reminiscent of beatnik art and a true send off to Dyaln who fancied himself as a Beatnik. This is one book you cannot afford to not flip through. You will have to buy it after reading it.

Its a great book. One, like Dylan's songs, on many levels. Illustrations replete with all kinds of folklore allusions for the Dylan fans, but engaging and enjoyed by children or adults of any age.
It is laid out as a book best sung, a few lines at a time. That makes it a great book to explore how words sit on a page, how pictures and words combined can inspire, and bring to children the joy of singing, the written word, and pictorials joined together. No "new media" captivates young minds the way this simple book does. Reading some of the poor reviews for the book on the store, I wonder if those people realized it is a children's book. If you want realism and sound, other media are readily available. If you want to teach the joys of reading, the pleasure of simple song, and the wisdom of Bob Bylan, this is the ticket.

The one major thing missing from this book is SOUND. Like similar books for children on jazz that I have reviewed, this calls out for a CD with recording of the song but obviously Sony/BMG isn't licensing it to Simon and Schuster.

The illustrations are nicely done and in the back, the author explains the relevance of the images in the pictures, like the sticker on Woody Guthrie's guitar. These "footnotes" really help because otherwise you wouldn't recognize folks like John Hammond, Ringo Starr and Jack Kerouac in the illustrations.

Dylan fans will want this for their collection (especially those collecting his "early years". But I can't see someone not already into Dylan needing this book.

Steve Ramm
"Anything Phonographic"

My 3 children are HUGE Beatles fans. I admit that I first bought the book because there is an illustration of the "Meet the Beatles" album on one of the pages. After really sitting down and reading the book, I am so thrilled to share it with my boys. The illustrations are stunning and hopefully will be inspiring to them as young artists! The message in the song lyrics is perfect. If you are looking for a message of peace and inspiration to give your children, this is it!

This kids book, written by Dylan (ie the song Forever Young) and illustrated by Paul Rodgers is a delight. Then illustrations evoke characters and events in Dylan's life at the time he wrote the song, and the reading of the song along with these illustrations surely will bring a tear to the eye of the Dylan fan reading this to the significant child in their life. And, a great introduction to Dylan for that kid in your life, too.

I am a HUGE Bob Dylan fan, and didn't know if my son would be a fan of the book, but he asks to read it several nights a week before bed. The illustrations have something new to find each time he reads it.

When I first read Forever Young, my four year old son was sitting on my lap. From the first page, both he and I were into this magical work. Bob's gift is now in the hands of a new generation...works like this ensure his place in history. His words and music will live forever in the hearts of all people. He is blessed with a gift of reason, insight and the ability to get it to the people in words and music; now, with this book, he has embraced the very young. Forever young is a book for everyone. Leslie Knibbs

As a rabid Bob Dylan fan, it was important to share my love of his work with my children. I feel so lucky to have found this book! The illustrations are brilliantly executed and richly textured, suiting the lyrical content of the book perfectly. My kids can't get enough of it, and love to look at the pictures while I play the song for them on vinyl. This book is a wonderful way to bridge generations and an easy, fun bedtime tuck-in book. I highly recommend it!

I had a Great-Niece born on January 17th. Being the Bob Dylan fan that I am, I wanted to be the first to introduce her to Dylan. I bought one of these books for her (also one for myself) and was very pleased with the product. The artwork tells the story of Dylan's history from his early days in New York to the Icon he has become in the music of our generation. The timeless lyrics of the song "Forever Young" expresses the wish that I have for for my young niece. Great job Bob and Paul!

My nephews love this book. They enjoy looking through the pages trying to find the "hidden Bobby's". They don't know who Bob Dylan is, they are only three, but they love "Bobby", the character I have introduced them to in the book. It also helps if you are familiar with the song and can sing along. Although they are not quite at reading level, they have nearly memorized the words of the song and sing along with me as they read it. Very worthwhile book!

My husband and I have been long time fans of Bob Dylan! When our daughter got married recently, their father-daughter dance was to "Forever Young", so needless-to-say, it is very special to us. When I saw "Forever Young" in a children's book, I had to have it! I'm waiting for the perfect time to give it to my daughter...she will love one day reading it to her children!

Being both a Bob Dylan fan and a mother to a 2 year old guitar fanatic, I was so excited to hear of this book! The lyrics to Forever Young send a very positive message to both young and old. We love reading this book! It truly warms your heart.

Forever Young

This is a wonderful book for children and adults! The illustrations are so creative, and
for adults who are Dylan fans, just perfect....Enjoy this treasure!

I can add this cartoon book to my Bob Dylan bowling ball and BD tie clasp. I now see Whole Foods has BD lettuce. Hey everybody, get a piece of Bob while he's alive and cash in. BTW - I'm selling my Bob Dylan potato chip on ebay. Let the bidding begin.