The Ramones rocks as an illustrated book for various ages

When is an illustrated book not an illustrated book? When it turns into a store, the old adage from bubble gum wrappers would tell us. Except, in this case, a book can’t walk and The Ramones, The Unauthorized Biography by Soledad Romero Marino with illustrations by Joe Padilla is an all-age look at a rock band that defined a generation. I know that calling them ‘rock’ and not ‘punk’ will raise the ire of some purists. Chill out my punk rock friends. This is a book that will satisfy longtime fans of The Ramones, kidlit lovers, mglit people who want to discover something new, and those parents who want to introduce their early readers to the group.

Initially, the book seemed like an odd duck to me. The text was too challenging for those early through middle elementary-aged readers to read by themselves, but the illustrations are perfect for ages four and up. Moreover, the story doesn’t baby down the group, their history, or the unique things that made them the legendary foursome that they are.

A great way to compare it is to any of the books in the Little People, Big Dreams series. Those books skew younger because their sentences are simpler and the art is rounded. The illustrations will appeal to those younger audiences because that’s what they’re attracted to. The art in The Ramones is more realistic, but still has a cartoonish, illustrated appearance that will make it still engaging for younger audiences to look at.

The content in the book is what will interest those readers in third grade and up. Even those who are well versed in the ways of The Ramones might learn something. For example, I learned that Tommy Ramone came up with the group’s moniker because Paul Ramone is the alias that Paul McCartney used to avoid fans while staying at a hotel. I can sense my punk rock street cred plummeting for not know that. I do have tidbits of Ramones trivia, but that very large nugget was missing from my collection.

For us, the biggest thing that the book gets right is its brevity. The Ramones have a massive history and to delve into the group too deeply would feel cheap or rushed. Instead, the book takes things a page at a time and delves a little bit deeper. As a group, we’re told that the four friends grew up in the same area in New York City. Each introductory page is also presented with a picture to illustrate it.

After we meet the band, their first concert is profiled. It was quite infamous because it was so bad. They didn’t play their own music and didn’t practice. One could only imagine how it sounded. After that, they practiced and landed a gig at CBGB which thankfully turned into a weekly event. You’ll read about their first trip to Europe, how their shows were sold out over there, and even how Britain’s punk rock bands couldn’t get in to see them perform. There is also a two-page layout listing the studio albums from The Ramones.

All of this information is condensed in a way that a third-grader could turn it into an essay. There are enough details to fully flesh out a book report, in addition to making young readers curious about the band if they want to do more research. It’s a form of less-is-more, relative to an educational illustrated book. Much more information could’ve been crammed into the book, but then it would’ve been an older book that might not have garnered any interest.

As it sits, The Ramones The Unauthorized Biography works as excellent non-fiction, middle elementary book, and up. Those audiences might be inspired to read more or listen to the group, while those younger readers will like the big kid feel of the book. They’ll also like the fact that their parents are reading the book to them with more enthusiasm than usual, plus a big grin on their face.

The Unauthorized Biography Ramones is written by Soledad Marino with illustration by Joe Padilla and available on Sourcebooks.

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