WINNER OF THE NOBEL PRIZE IN LITERATURE

Iconic singer-songwriter Bob Dylan and illustrator David Walker team up to present this charming, cozy, and touching interpretation of “If Not for You.”

If not for you…
I’d be sad and blue.
If not for you…
I just wouldn’t have a clue.
If not for you…
What would I do?

In this inventive interpretation of Bob Dylan’s 1970 song “If Not for You,” illustrator David Walker beautifully imagines Dylan’s lyrics as portraying the bottomless love between a parent and a child—and the magical experiences they might share together.

About The Author

Courtesy of the author

Bob Dylan

Bob Dylan has released thirty-nine studio albums, which collectively have sold over 125 million copies around the world. He won the Nobel Prize in Literature and has been awarded the French Legion of Honor, a Pulitzer Prize Special Citation, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the country’s highest civilian honor. His memoir, Chronicles: Volume One, spent a year on the New York Times bestseller list.

About The Illustrator

Photograph courtesy of the illustrator

David Walker

David Walker is a bestselling artist and has happily drawn and painted all his life. As the illustrator of more than fifty books, he’s beginning to write them as well, including The Not-So-Brave Little Lion and The Not-So-Sleepy Little Panda. Dave’s days are spent in his Apex, North Carolina, studio in the company of two big snoring dogs, surrounded by paper, pencils, paints, and coffee cups. To learn more, please visit him on Instagram @DavidWalkerStudios.

Product Details

Publisher: Atheneum Books for Young Readers (May 10, 2016)
Length: 32 pages
ISBN13: 9781451648829
Ages: 4 - 8

Raves and Reviews

"A floppy-eared dog and his pup treasure each other’s company in anthropomorphic domestic scenes that every child will recognize.... The palette and technique of the acrylic illustrations are soft and rounded using broken lines and delicate highlights. They provide a warm and fuzzy feeling that adds to the theme of love between a parent and child. The lyrics to Dylan’s 1970 song “If Not for You” are the text. VERDICT: Walker has done a fantastic job of interpreting Dylan’s song for children."

– School Library Journal, March 2016

"Walker illustrates the 1970 Dylan tune with an adorable parent-child canine pair. Using minimal backgrounds and props to keep the focus on the relationship, Walker masterfully conveys emotions in his acrylic illustrations...the pictures are so poignant that parents could make up their own words."

– Kirkus Reviews, March 2016