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When Bob Met Woody: The Story of the Young Bob Dylan
An enchanting, true story of the 2016 Nobel Prize in Literature winner, Bob Dylan, and his mentor, Woody Guthrie.
"Hey hey, Woody Guthrie, I wrote you a song..."
When Bob finished, Woody's face lit up like the sun.
Bob Dylan is a musical icon, an American legend, and, quite simply, a poet. But before he became Bob Dylan, he was Bob Zimmerman, a kid from rural Minnesota.
This lyrical and gorgeously illustrated picture book biography follows Bob as he renames himself after his favorite poet, Dylan Thomas, and leaves his mining town to pursue his love of music in New York City. There, he meets his folk music hero and future mentor, Woody Guthrie, changing his life forever.
"Hey hey, Woody Guthrie, I wrote you a song..."
When Bob finished, Woody's face lit up like the sun.
Bob Dylan is a musical icon, an American legend, and, quite simply, a poet. But before he became Bob Dylan, he was Bob Zimmerman, a kid from rural Minnesota.
This lyrical and gorgeously illustrated picture book biography follows Bob as he renames himself after his favorite poet, Dylan Thomas, and leaves his mining town to pursue his love of music in New York City. There, he meets his folk music hero and future mentor, Woody Guthrie, changing his life forever.
40 pages, Hardcover
First published May 3, 2011
66 people want to read
About the author
Gary Golio
11 books11 followersGary Golio is the author of several best-selling and award-winning musical picture-book biographies, including Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow, When Bob Met Woody, and Spirit Seeker: John Coltrane’s Musical Journey. Gary Golio lives in Hudson Valley, New York.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
October 26, 2021
When Bob Met Woody: The Story of the Young Bob Dylan is a children's picture book written by Gary Golio and illustrated by Marc Burckhardt. It is a sensitively written, meticulously researched picture biography, capturing the intense ambition of the young Bob Dylan.
Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, is an American singer-songwriter, author and visual artist. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career spanning sixty years. Woodrow Wilson Guthrie was an American singer-songwriter and one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism.
Golio's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. Golio's lyrical, plainspoken writing that echoes folk music itself provides a wonderful narrative of Dylan's meeting with Guthrie and with quotations sprinkled throughout the text is well annotated. Backmatter includes an afterword, sources, and resources. Burckhardt's crackle-texture, generously scaled acrylics mix stirring portraiture with mural-like iconography.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. It portrays a young Dylan as a teenager driven by both his music and his sense of alienation. Dylan's determination to find a bigger, brighter world and his belief that Guthrie and his music are "the North Star" gives the narrative momentum that propels the story to its final pages, where an ailing Guthrie gives the young troubadour his blessing.
All in all, When Bob Met Woody: The Story of the Young Bob Dylan is a wonderful biography of one folk legend meeting another.
Robert Dylan, born Robert Allen Zimmerman, is an American singer-songwriter, author and visual artist. Often regarded as one of the greatest songwriters of all time, Dylan has been a major figure in popular culture during a career spanning sixty years. Woodrow Wilson Guthrie was an American singer-songwriter and one of the most significant figures in American folk music. His work focused on themes of American socialism and anti-fascism.
Golio's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. Golio's lyrical, plainspoken writing that echoes folk music itself provides a wonderful narrative of Dylan's meeting with Guthrie and with quotations sprinkled throughout the text is well annotated. Backmatter includes an afterword, sources, and resources. Burckhardt's crackle-texture, generously scaled acrylics mix stirring portraiture with mural-like iconography.
The premise of the book is rather straightforward. It portrays a young Dylan as a teenager driven by both his music and his sense of alienation. Dylan's determination to find a bigger, brighter world and his belief that Guthrie and his music are "the North Star" gives the narrative momentum that propels the story to its final pages, where an ailing Guthrie gives the young troubadour his blessing.
All in all, When Bob Met Woody: The Story of the Young Bob Dylan is a wonderful biography of one folk legend meeting another.
June 26, 2011
This is a delightful introduction to a musical icon. A picture book about how Bob Dylan's musical persona was formed and informed by his times and by the singers who were going to become his peers- what a grand idea! And how lovingly, reverentially executed here by Golio. The illustrations are splendid and evocative, but I'm afraid ol' Bob was never quite as handsome as herein depicted by Burckhardt. Highly recommended for people who like music, and essential for folkies and their children's children.
December 6, 2024
A few weeks ago, I enjoyed an exceptionally beautiful Fall evening with friends in nearby Hibbing, MN. For fun, we stopped by the childhood home of Bob Dylan (1948-1959), as well as Hibbing High School a couple of blocks up the street, where Bob first took a musical stage and graduated, and there's now a lovely tribute to his Nobel Prize in Literature. We had dinner al fresco across the street from the Androy Hotel where young Bobby’s Bar Mitzvah celebration was held.
I'm not in a place to say whether or not authors get Bob Dylan right (I don't know the guy), but I'm a pretty fair judge on whether they get Hibbing and northern MN right. I've seen it described very poorly. (I'm looking at you, Who Is Bob Dylan?)
This book says, "the Zimmermans moved [from Duluth] to Hibbing, Minnesota, a mining town near Canada. They were one of the few Jewish families in town."
Mining town? Yes, when I think Iron Range mining town, I think Hibbing.
Near Canada? Well, as towns go, I wouldn't say it's near the border. It's planted pretty firmly stateside, but sure - Canada is about a two hour drive north.
One of the few Jewish families? Not really.
In the 1950s, Hibbing had a stable Jewish community of about 300 people. That's as big as the population of a lot of small towns in northern MN to this day. Hibbing has always been known for having a diverse immigrant background.
Later, the book says: "Teased for being Jewish, for being different, Bob kept his angry feelings inside."
There's no evidence that Dylan was bullied or picked on. If I'm being honest, I think that as a children's picture book, this might be playing the adversity card for sense of purpose. It's wonderful to inspire children to overcome adversity! But, by all accounts, Bob Dylan had a fairly normal, middle-class childhood.
All said, I'm glad the author didn't go the way of painting Bob Dylan as spiteful toward his hometown.
Overall, this is a nice book. No negativity.
It illustrates Bob going to seek out Woody Guthrie, meeting him when he'd become unwell, playing Woody's songs for him and how his music was shaped by Woody's.
I really like the illustration style and the Author's Note, which includes this:
"Anyone reading this story should also know that the details of Bob's early life are sometimes remembered differently by different people. For example, did he hitchhike his way to New York, or really catch a ride with a friend? Should you believe Bob's own version of what happened, just because he said it? In the end, certain facts "rang true" to me, and sometimes I let Bob have the last word because it's his life."
I enjoyed the quotes scattered throughout from Bob Dylan, himself.
*A good article on the hometown of young Bob Dylan:
https://www.davehoekstra.com/2023/07/...
I'm not in a place to say whether or not authors get Bob Dylan right (I don't know the guy), but I'm a pretty fair judge on whether they get Hibbing and northern MN right. I've seen it described very poorly. (I'm looking at you, Who Is Bob Dylan?)
This book says, "the Zimmermans moved [from Duluth] to Hibbing, Minnesota, a mining town near Canada. They were one of the few Jewish families in town."
Mining town? Yes, when I think Iron Range mining town, I think Hibbing.
Near Canada? Well, as towns go, I wouldn't say it's near the border. It's planted pretty firmly stateside, but sure - Canada is about a two hour drive north.
One of the few Jewish families? Not really.
In the 1950s, Hibbing had a stable Jewish community of about 300 people. That's as big as the population of a lot of small towns in northern MN to this day. Hibbing has always been known for having a diverse immigrant background.
Later, the book says: "Teased for being Jewish, for being different, Bob kept his angry feelings inside."
There's no evidence that Dylan was bullied or picked on. If I'm being honest, I think that as a children's picture book, this might be playing the adversity card for sense of purpose. It's wonderful to inspire children to overcome adversity! But, by all accounts, Bob Dylan had a fairly normal, middle-class childhood.
All said, I'm glad the author didn't go the way of painting Bob Dylan as spiteful toward his hometown.
Overall, this is a nice book. No negativity.
It illustrates Bob going to seek out Woody Guthrie, meeting him when he'd become unwell, playing Woody's songs for him and how his music was shaped by Woody's.
I really like the illustration style and the Author's Note, which includes this:
"Anyone reading this story should also know that the details of Bob's early life are sometimes remembered differently by different people. For example, did he hitchhike his way to New York, or really catch a ride with a friend? Should you believe Bob's own version of what happened, just because he said it? In the end, certain facts "rang true" to me, and sometimes I let Bob have the last word because it's his life."
I enjoyed the quotes scattered throughout from Bob Dylan, himself.
*A good article on the hometown of young Bob Dylan:
https://www.davehoekstra.com/2023/07/...
November 23, 2012
Reviewed at: http://www.teachmentortexts.com/2012/...
I grew up listening to Bob Dylan. His music was a major part of the soundtrack of my life and because of that he still has a special place in my heart. During my bachelor degree I wrote a paper analyzing the influence that Walt Whitman had on Woody Guthrie thus influencing Bob Dylan- this picture book brought me right back to that research and all of the amazing poetry and music that Dylan and Guthrie write/wrote. This picture book shares Bob's childhood as a journey to reach his dream and to meet his idol. It is told almost as a hero's journey- this book also shows that being your dream and meeting your hero are reachable. I loved the intertwining of Bob's lyrics and quotes bringing the history even more to life.
I loved this picture book and will definitely want to own it. I'm now going to go read it again.
I grew up listening to Bob Dylan. His music was a major part of the soundtrack of my life and because of that he still has a special place in my heart. During my bachelor degree I wrote a paper analyzing the influence that Walt Whitman had on Woody Guthrie thus influencing Bob Dylan- this picture book brought me right back to that research and all of the amazing poetry and music that Dylan and Guthrie write/wrote. This picture book shares Bob's childhood as a journey to reach his dream and to meet his idol. It is told almost as a hero's journey- this book also shows that being your dream and meeting your hero are reachable. I loved the intertwining of Bob's lyrics and quotes bringing the history even more to life.
I loved this picture book and will definitely want to own it. I'm now going to go read it again.
May 31, 2011
With its acrylic and oil illustrations that reveal the innocence of youth as well as the lines of hardship traced on the face of his mentor Woody Guthrie, this wonderful book focuses on the many influences on the life and music of Bob Dylan. The author pays little attention to his early growing up years in Minnesota; instead, it highlights the adolescent's gravitation to the music of Hank Williams, Muddy Waters, and Lead Belly, and the poems of Dylan Thomas. The author doesn't stint in acknowledging that Dylan recreated some of his own personal history in an attempt to mirror some of Guthrie's experiences. This title will surely encourage some readers to follow their dreams, wherever they may lead. Back matter includes an afterword, a list of sources and resources, an author's note, and quotation notes. As was the case with last year's Jimi: Sounds Like a Rainbow, this picture book will surely foster new interest in two influential songwriters.
November 5, 2014
Very good book, great story and illustrations. Anyone who is a fan of either of these legends should read it. Kudos gentlemen!!
December 2, 2024
"All I can do is be me, whoever that is"--Bob Dylan
See Amanda's review for how well this book does in capturing Hibbing, Minnesota, where Bobbie Zimmerman grew up, and Dylan's upbringing there, which is to say not bad, not great. And this "origin story" has it that he came up wanting to be like his heroes Lead Belly, Elvis, Muddy Waters, Hank Williams, on the way to meeting Woody Guthrie. An American folk hero, this book sets him up to be, which until he went electric, seemed to be largely true. Some of his early music was protest music, such as "Blowin' in the Wind" and "Oxford Town" and "Hurricane."
"Bobby Dylan is a folk singer. . . He's a folk singer all right"--Woody Guthrie
and then he shook off that activist mantle to do whatever he wanted to do, which he has done ever since.
"Folk singers are just a bunch of fat people"--Dylan, turned electric
So this book is in keeping with that Pete Seeger hope that Dylan would lead the people into social justice, fight racism and war, which he did, but which was a short-lived period in his career. He invented his name, his pseudonym, Bob Dylan, after a favorite poet, Dylan Thomas, and became the musicologist/archivist he remains today, a student of American music and one of the greatest songwriters of all time.
I like the nostalgic artwork by Marc Burckhardt.
"Song to Woody," by Dylan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOWfC...
See Amanda's review for how well this book does in capturing Hibbing, Minnesota, where Bobbie Zimmerman grew up, and Dylan's upbringing there, which is to say not bad, not great. And this "origin story" has it that he came up wanting to be like his heroes Lead Belly, Elvis, Muddy Waters, Hank Williams, on the way to meeting Woody Guthrie. An American folk hero, this book sets him up to be, which until he went electric, seemed to be largely true. Some of his early music was protest music, such as "Blowin' in the Wind" and "Oxford Town" and "Hurricane."
"Bobby Dylan is a folk singer. . . He's a folk singer all right"--Woody Guthrie
and then he shook off that activist mantle to do whatever he wanted to do, which he has done ever since.
"Folk singers are just a bunch of fat people"--Dylan, turned electric
So this book is in keeping with that Pete Seeger hope that Dylan would lead the people into social justice, fight racism and war, which he did, but which was a short-lived period in his career. He invented his name, his pseudonym, Bob Dylan, after a favorite poet, Dylan Thomas, and became the musicologist/archivist he remains today, a student of American music and one of the greatest songwriters of all time.
I like the nostalgic artwork by Marc Burckhardt.
"Song to Woody," by Dylan:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lOWfC...
Read
February 14, 2023This story takes the reader from Bob Dylan's childhood up through his meeting with Woody Guthrie. While his journey from discontented child in a small town to traveling and developing musician is interesting, there is an added element of the power of meeting your heroes. Fortunately for young Bob, his hero more than lives up to expectations.
An interesting introduction to two music and cultural icons.
An interesting introduction to two music and cultural icons.
August 28, 2020
This is an entertaining tale about Bob Dylan becoming a folk singer by following in the footsteps of one of his heroes, Woody Guthrie. The book takes readers into the life of Dylan who is one of the finest songwriters of all time.
April 25, 2018
Very good story or Bob Dylan. Illustrations did not seem to represent him well.
June 6, 2018
Loved reading about this music legend.
January 5, 2020
While the subject matter didn't appeal much to our 8-year old, her music-loving parents enjoyed this picture book about Bob Dylan.
May 19, 2011
Gary Golio's last picture book was the stunning award-winning collaboration with Javaka Steptoe, Jimi Sounds Like a Rainbow, about rock legend Jimi Hendrix. In his newest release, Golio turns to another 20th century musical legend, Bob Dylan, and fans of his early work will not be disappointed.
Much like Golio's book about Hendrix, this volume does not attempt to be a traditional biography and tell the entire story of Dylan's life. Instead, he concentrates on Dylan's youth in Minnesota, when he was just Bob Zimmerman, a Jewish kid who loved music, although he hated taking lessons! In fact, he taught himself both piano and guitar as a kid.
Golio shows us some of Bob's early influences, as he listens on the radio to the great blues musicians of the time such as Muddy Waters and B. B. King, as well as country star Hank Williams. Bob's parents thought music was a waste of time, and Bob grew up feeling different--teased for his Jewish heritage, and belittled for his musical ambitions in the small mining community where he lived. But Bob knew he'd show them all one day, and be a bigger music star than Elvis!
To please his parents, Bob started college in Minneapolis, although he spent most of his time in coffeehouses singing folk music. At an audition, he told a cafe owner that his name was Bob Dylan--after Dylan Thomas, his favorite poet. And he practiced and practiced, learning all kinds of music, even forgetting to brush his teeth sometimes because he was so engrossed in his practicing!
When Bob was introduced to the music of folk singer Woody Guthrie, he found a singer/songwriter whom he grew to idolize, so much so that when he heard the singer was in the hospital in New York, he found out the phone number and hitchhiked cross-country at 19 years old just to see him. He visited his hero in the hospital, even singing a song he had composed just for him: "Song to Woody."
An afterword explains how by meeting Woody Guthrie, Bob became part of an inside circle of the most important people in American folk music, many of whom helped him find work and even "fed him meals and lent him their couches." Less than a year after arriving in New York, he had a record deal with Columbia Records. Golio also describes how Bob's ability to blend different music styles changed the face of American popular music.
The book includes a brief bibliography of books, audio sources, videos, and internet resources on Bob Dylan.
Marc Burckhardt's illustrations are a perfect fit for the folksy style of Golio's prose and for Dylan's status a folk music idol. From Austin, Texas, Marc lives in the "live music capital of the world," and has illustrated several other picture books as well. In this book, he uses acrylics and oil paper mounted on board to create a vibrant folk art look that reminded me of the monumentality of the figures of Grant Wood and other great American painters.
This is a terrific picture book to share with young people, even better if you can combine it with some song tracks (try Youtube for some free links, including rare surviving footage of Guthrie performing) from both Dylan and Woody Guthrie, making together a valuable lesson in the evolution of American folk music! Adult fans of Dylan will enjoy sharing this book with children in their lives as well, as a way to introduce them to a great figure in American music.
Much like Golio's book about Hendrix, this volume does not attempt to be a traditional biography and tell the entire story of Dylan's life. Instead, he concentrates on Dylan's youth in Minnesota, when he was just Bob Zimmerman, a Jewish kid who loved music, although he hated taking lessons! In fact, he taught himself both piano and guitar as a kid.
Golio shows us some of Bob's early influences, as he listens on the radio to the great blues musicians of the time such as Muddy Waters and B. B. King, as well as country star Hank Williams. Bob's parents thought music was a waste of time, and Bob grew up feeling different--teased for his Jewish heritage, and belittled for his musical ambitions in the small mining community where he lived. But Bob knew he'd show them all one day, and be a bigger music star than Elvis!
To please his parents, Bob started college in Minneapolis, although he spent most of his time in coffeehouses singing folk music. At an audition, he told a cafe owner that his name was Bob Dylan--after Dylan Thomas, his favorite poet. And he practiced and practiced, learning all kinds of music, even forgetting to brush his teeth sometimes because he was so engrossed in his practicing!
When Bob was introduced to the music of folk singer Woody Guthrie, he found a singer/songwriter whom he grew to idolize, so much so that when he heard the singer was in the hospital in New York, he found out the phone number and hitchhiked cross-country at 19 years old just to see him. He visited his hero in the hospital, even singing a song he had composed just for him: "Song to Woody."
An afterword explains how by meeting Woody Guthrie, Bob became part of an inside circle of the most important people in American folk music, many of whom helped him find work and even "fed him meals and lent him their couches." Less than a year after arriving in New York, he had a record deal with Columbia Records. Golio also describes how Bob's ability to blend different music styles changed the face of American popular music.
The book includes a brief bibliography of books, audio sources, videos, and internet resources on Bob Dylan.
Marc Burckhardt's illustrations are a perfect fit for the folksy style of Golio's prose and for Dylan's status a folk music idol. From Austin, Texas, Marc lives in the "live music capital of the world," and has illustrated several other picture books as well. In this book, he uses acrylics and oil paper mounted on board to create a vibrant folk art look that reminded me of the monumentality of the figures of Grant Wood and other great American painters.
This is a terrific picture book to share with young people, even better if you can combine it with some song tracks (try Youtube for some free links, including rare surviving footage of Guthrie performing) from both Dylan and Woody Guthrie, making together a valuable lesson in the evolution of American folk music! Adult fans of Dylan will enjoy sharing this book with children in their lives as well, as a way to introduce them to a great figure in American music.
July 24, 2011
This is presented as Bob Dylan seeing Woody Guthrie as a sort of hero for emulation, and the effect that had on his growth. That's basically true, or anyway that's basically how Bob himself presents the situation.
The oddity is that Bob Dylan himself has always resisted/refused to be anyone's hero. While he has been called the voice of a generation, he always resisted that label--indeed, any label. ("Don’t follow leaders" he says in Subterranean Homesick Blues.) I have appreciated him (and similarly Neil Young) for his independence and willingness to try new directions. I have not been the sort to seek a hero to emulate for the most part, though Bud Ogle has in a way inspired me at certain points along the way. But it is ironic that Bob has refused in a sense to pay forward for what he got and has admitted was important to him. Ironic, but...isn't there a moral flaw there?
The oddity is that Bob Dylan himself has always resisted/refused to be anyone's hero. While he has been called the voice of a generation, he always resisted that label--indeed, any label. ("Don’t follow leaders" he says in Subterranean Homesick Blues.) I have appreciated him (and similarly Neil Young) for his independence and willingness to try new directions. I have not been the sort to seek a hero to emulate for the most part, though Bud Ogle has in a way inspired me at certain points along the way. But it is ironic that Bob has refused in a sense to pay forward for what he got and has admitted was important to him. Ironic, but...isn't there a moral flaw there?
March 5, 2012
Wonderful drawings in an Americana style on paper mounted on board, giving the paintings of acrylics and oils the periodic texture of wood. The book brings us along on Bob Dylan's journey as a boy and adolescent, tracing his growth as a musician and poet, whose course was further energized by the first the influence of and then meeting with Woody Guthrie. Quotes from Dylan give further immediacy to the life of this 20th century figure.
May 29, 2011
Gary Golio's picture book biography of Jimi Hendrix, Jimi Sounds Like a Rainbow, was one of my favorite picture books last year. In this book, Golio returns to another 20th Century musical icon, Bob Dylan. Determined to become a musician with little support from his family and friends, Dylan struck out on his own, eventually finding his way to New York, where he met Woody Guthrie, his hero.
July 8, 2011
While I am a huge Bob Dylan fan, and Woodie Guthrie, I was skeptical when I first saw this book, wondering where the author would take his readers. The result is on a heart-warming journey of the roots of Bob Dylan; including how he chose his stage name, his passion for folk music, and his admiration for Guthrie. A great read for fans of all ages.
October 24, 2011
Very inspiring story, appealing to children and adults alike. Short but sweet introduction to anyone not familiar with this musician. Author notes that in some cases story might be not be entirely factual and may be rather idealistic. The illustrations expertly convey this idealism, accompanying the text with rolling hills and rosy sunsets.
December 8, 2011
While an interesting view of Bob Dylan’s life and his friendship with Woody Guthre, I really doubt that this book will appeal to kids. Most will not have even heard of either Bob or Woody. I do appreciate the mention of Dylan’s social activism in the afterward but I don’t think it is enough to warrant adding it to the collection.
August 18, 2019
Really enjoyed this. Artwork has a very contemporary feel. Particularly enjoyed the way it emphasizes the hero angle. There are many kinds of heroes, and most don't fight with their fists.
Lots of Dylan's influences get passing mention, too, so it's a great book to read if you want to expand the family's listening repertoire.
Lots of Dylan's influences get passing mention, too, so it's a great book to read if you want to expand the family's listening repertoire.
March 30, 2016
Beautiful illustrated story of Bob Dylan's youth ...beginnings of his climb to fame. I foresee many children who come across this book would be inspired to live their dream. Dylan fans would certainly treasure this and share with their children.
March 19, 2011
Wonderfully written, beautifully illustrated story about young Bob Dylan meeting his idol Woody Guthrie.
June 23, 2011
Another book that needs a soundtrack cd. Picture book biography.
July 27, 2011
good combination of story, quotes and lyrics describing the beginning of Bob Dylan.
August 15, 2011
My review of this book can be found in the September Issue of The Sacramento/SanFrancisco Book Review.
October 16, 2011
Wonderful story. Clear and specific language that developed Bob Dylan as a musician. Illustrations and design fit the story well.
August 4, 2012
Bob Dylan's origins - leaving Minnesota for New York City and meeting his folk hero Woody Guthrie.
August 16, 2012
This book is a true inspiration for any child (or adult) that wants to be a musician. It tells the story of the young Bob Dylan...just wish it came with a CD. very colorful pictures as well
September 5, 2012
I really liked this book. They captured Dylan's start and his admiration for Woody Guthrie really well.
I loved the quotes scattered throughout the pages as well! Good read.
I loved the quotes scattered throughout the pages as well! Good read.
December 18, 2012
Simply told, but without glossing over the tension in his early life. Makes a great pairing with the picture book THIS LAND IS YOUR LAND with paintings by Kathy Jakobsen.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews