Honky Tonk Heroes and Hillbilly Angels: The Pioneers Of Country and Western Music
Honky-Tonk Heroes and Hillbilly Angels, presented as a children's book, is a treat for fans of country music no matter their age. George-Warren offers brief, complete biographies of 15 pioneers, including the Carter Family, Roy Acuff, Loretta Lynn, and George Jones, accompanied by Levine's colorful folk art portraits. Buy this for the kids, but keep it for yourself. -- Austin Chronicle
"Levine's vibrantly colored paintings would look right at home on the walls of a folk art museum, and the biographies by George-Warren are informative and clear without being condescending...after a few pages, you'll want to break out the fiddles, guitars, and mandolins, and make your own country music."--New York Post
"George-Warren's short prose biographies of greats such as Jimmie Rodgers, several generations of Carters, Patsy Cline and Gene Autry are brilliantly matched with self-taught artist Levine's portraits."-– Chicago Tribune
"Holly George-Warren and Laura Levine now present informative and non-condescending bios of country-music movers and shakers."-– Harp
"George-Warren's engaging text packs a lot of information into a small space, detailing in broad arcs the movements of a given performer's career, including a song title or two, and indicating how that particular performer influenced those who followed. Although some of the dicier aspects of some performers' lives are shown the light of day--Hank Williams's drug use, George Jones's alcoholism--these are given only glancing attention, the focus firmly on the music. Levine's bright, folk-arty illustrations are particularly suited to her subject here, presenting performers in homespun fashion. A well-presented selection that will give interested children a solid introduction to the form and its shapes."--Kirkus Reviews
“Anyone who's a fan of country music—no matter what their age—will love this great-looking book. I intend to give it to all of my grandchildren, and it will have a permanent place on the Jones family bookshelf for generations to come.”— George Jones
“A beautiful and compelling book about the iconic figures of country music. This is a book ostensibly for children, but it is packed with so much concise and clear biographical information, and is illustrated with such striking, museum-quality folk paintings, that it belongs in adult libraries as well. A really delightful book ” -- Rosanne Cash
"Levine's mixed-media art harmonizes perfectly with these vignettes. . . . Fans of any age will enjoy this paean to roots music." --Horn Book