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Buddy: The Story of Buddy Holly
From his childhood days through his untimely death, a picture book biography offers a look at the life, times, accomplishments, and inspirations of this celebrated guitarist, singer, and songwriter from the Lone Star state.
Hardcover
First published February 1, 2005
29 people want to read
About the author
Anne Bustard
7 books77 followersBorn and raised in Hawaii, with a few years in California sandwiched in between, Anne Bustard moved to Texas to attend college and stayed. A former elementary school teacher and then bookseller, she co-owned Toad Hall Children's Bookstore in Austin, Texas. Her innovative summer writing program for children earned her the Lucile Micheels Pannell Award.
After selling her interest in the bookstore, Anne began teaching in the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin. There she received a Texas Excellence Teaching Award for her work.
Anne's first children's book, T IS FOR TEXAS (Voyageur Press) has been a popular seller. She has also written numerous articles for the MAILBOX MAGAZINE group featuring classroom connections to children's literature.
BUDDY: THE STORY OF BUDDY HOLLY (A Paula Wiseman Book/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers) is her most recent publication.
Anne presents at local, state and national conferences.
Today, Anne Bustard lives and writes in Austin, Texas.
After selling her interest in the bookstore, Anne began teaching in the College of Education at the University of Texas at Austin. There she received a Texas Excellence Teaching Award for her work.
Anne's first children's book, T IS FOR TEXAS (Voyageur Press) has been a popular seller. She has also written numerous articles for the MAILBOX MAGAZINE group featuring classroom connections to children's literature.
BUDDY: THE STORY OF BUDDY HOLLY (A Paula Wiseman Book/Simon & Schuster Books for Young Readers) is her most recent publication.
Anne presents at local, state and national conferences.
Today, Anne Bustard lives and writes in Austin, Texas.
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
September 12, 2018
My son (just like his mom) loves Buddy Holly. So when the school provided a list of thousands of books he could choose from for his learning to read project, he chose this one.
What a disappointment!
The author desperately attempts to sound folksy and creates words to mimic Texas slang in a Southern twang much to the detriment of any educational value. An easy reader book should use proper language to keep from being self-defeating. My son gave up after the second page because battling the made-up words was too frustrating, and the story was lost among them.
What a disappointment!
The author desperately attempts to sound folksy and creates words to mimic Texas slang in a Southern twang much to the detriment of any educational value. An easy reader book should use proper language to keep from being self-defeating. My son gave up after the second page because battling the made-up words was too frustrating, and the story was lost among them.
February 5, 2022
A biography of the singer told in his native Texas vernacular, wrapping up the story just before his tragic death on The Day The Music Died.
Not sure why picture book biographers shy away from death, it is a fact and cutting out from the story just before the subject's death feels incomplete to me.
Not sure why picture book biographers shy away from death, it is a fact and cutting out from the story just before the subject's death feels incomplete to me.
August 1, 2019
“Oo-ee-oo I look just like Buddy Holly...” -stick in my head the whole time I read this book.
This was interesting but I can’t decide if I liked the unique writing style or hated it lol. It reads like a cowboy telling a story but also comes off kind of insulting. 🤷🏻♀️
This was interesting but I can’t decide if I liked the unique writing style or hated it lol. It reads like a cowboy telling a story but also comes off kind of insulting. 🤷🏻♀️
December 24, 2020
The language of the book takes some getting used to but my 6-year-old loved the book so much he immediately wanted to see some videos of Buddy Holly on youtube. That's a huge success! Love Kurt Cyrus as always! The glasses in the title are a lovely touch.
September 16, 2019
Love the tone of this book. It definitely captures Buddy's vibe. I thought it odd that his early and unexpected death wasn't mentioned until the afterword.
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December 5, 2023Buddy Holly, Guitar
March 20, 2025
I was the curator's assistant at the Buddy Holly Center, so this brought back some nice memories. The heavy use of Texan slang got annoying after a while.
August 26, 2015
This picture book provides a delightful glimpse into the life of Charles Hardin Holley, better known as Buddy Holly.
The author uses colorful "Texas-talk" to describe Buddy's family and early life. Buddy was raised in a musical family so it was only natural for him to take to the guitar when he was in the sixth grade.
Just past Buddy's seventeenth birthday, he and his friend Jack were asked to sing and play on a weekly local radio show.
"Faster than greased lightnin', louder than a thunderstorm, more powerful than a Texas twister, and plumb full of gumption. Buddy and his friends wrote and played hip-hoppin' tunes. No foolin'. That music blasted them into out-of-this-world places".
The author includes an "Afterword" that gives biographical information about Buddy Holly's life and death.
This is not a new book, but it is perfect for the Texas history/music niche for children ages 6 - 10. I am a Buddy Holly fan and I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
The text is lively and the color illustrations are superb. This book is excellent for a unit in Texas history or music history in the elementary grades. I would share a Buddy Holly song with my listener and then read the book.
I once was a substitute teacher in an elementary music classroom. The teacher had a large bin of picture books about famous musicians. Kudos to this teacher for including biography books in her lessons. This book is a perfect fit for a teacher or parent who wants to introduce students to a time when rock ruled.
The author uses colorful "Texas-talk" to describe Buddy's family and early life. Buddy was raised in a musical family so it was only natural for him to take to the guitar when he was in the sixth grade.
Just past Buddy's seventeenth birthday, he and his friend Jack were asked to sing and play on a weekly local radio show.
"Faster than greased lightnin', louder than a thunderstorm, more powerful than a Texas twister, and plumb full of gumption. Buddy and his friends wrote and played hip-hoppin' tunes. No foolin'. That music blasted them into out-of-this-world places".
The author includes an "Afterword" that gives biographical information about Buddy Holly's life and death.
This is not a new book, but it is perfect for the Texas history/music niche for children ages 6 - 10. I am a Buddy Holly fan and I thoroughly enjoyed this book!
The text is lively and the color illustrations are superb. This book is excellent for a unit in Texas history or music history in the elementary grades. I would share a Buddy Holly song with my listener and then read the book.
I once was a substitute teacher in an elementary music classroom. The teacher had a large bin of picture books about famous musicians. Kudos to this teacher for including biography books in her lessons. This book is a perfect fit for a teacher or parent who wants to introduce students to a time when rock ruled.
November 17, 2009
A while back, out West Texas way, a boy named Charles Hardin Holley was born. He was named after his granddaddy Charles and his granddaddy Hardin. From the first moment, though, his mama called him Buddy. Buddy Holly.
That Buddy could shoot marbles with the best, hit homers in the red dirt, and pelt cans with his slingshot. But come sixth grade, when Buddy met up with a guitar, he never let it go. Later Buddy heard a new sound -- part country, part gospel, and part blues -- and got even more fired up. Hot-diggity! It was the birth of rock 'n' roll.
That Buddy could shoot marbles with the best, hit homers in the red dirt, and pelt cans with his slingshot. But come sixth grade, when Buddy met up with a guitar, he never let it go. Later Buddy heard a new sound -- part country, part gospel, and part blues -- and got even more fired up. Hot-diggity! It was the birth of rock 'n' roll.
December 16, 2010
For young readers who are interested in learning how Buddy Holly get so interested in music and how he became one of the great rock n roll artists, this picture book is a great starter. The artwork is well done and the storyline is easy to follow. It does mainly focus on his growing up years, so if you're interested in his showbiz time, this one lack there, but it's a great book overall for anyone wanting to get started in learning how exactly Buddy Holly came to be.
November 13, 2017
This book could be used to teach children about people from the past who have made an impact. It could also be used to teach students about the history of music and Texas.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews