Elvis Presley's the First Noel, Book and CD

In 1971, Elvis Presley made a beautiful recording of “The First Noel” that has since become a Christmas music classic. Now, for the first time ever, Elvis Presley's “The First Noel” is brought to life in this gorgeous picture book-and-CD package. Inside are breathtaking paintings by artist Bruce Whatley that capture the solemnity and joy of the first Christmas, and included with the book is a CD of “The King's” timeless recording.

Elvis Presley (1935–1977) was a talented musician, singer, and actor. He was widely acclaimed as “The King of Rock 'n' Roll” and had an unprecedented total of 114 Top-40 hits. His runaway success continues to make his music popular to this day. He is a true legend in music history.

Bruce Whatley is the author and illustrator of many popular and award-winning books, including Whatley's Quest and Detective Donut and the Wild Goose Chase, which he co-wrote with Rosie Smith. He is also the illustrator of The Teddy Bears' Picnic, There Ain't No Bugs on Me, and The Night Before Christmas. Mr. Whatley lives with his wife, Rosie, and their children, Ellyn and Ben, in Meredith, NH.

Bruce Whatley is one of Australia's most highly regarded and talented authors and illustrators for children, both here and internationally. Bruce started his working life in advertising as an art director and illustrator and since then he has created over sixty picture books. Many of his books have won awards both in Australia and overseas, including The Ugliest Dog in the World, Looking for Crabs, Tails from Grandad’s Attic, and Detective Donut and the Wild Goose Chase. 

Bruce has cowritten a number of award-winning books with his wife, Rosie Smith (Whatley’s Quest, Detective Donut and the Wild Goose Chase and Little White Dogs Can’t Jump), and his son Ben Smith Whatley (Zoobots).

In 2002, Bruce paired with author Jackie French and illustrated Diary of a Wombat—an iconic picture book that has become an international bestseller with foreign sales to nine territories. Diary of a Wombat was the start of an extraordinary artistic collaboration that sparked the publication of Pete the Sheep, Josephine Wants to Dance, Shaggy Gully Times, Baby Wombat’s Week, Christmas Wombat, and Wombat Goes to School, plus two delightful books about Queen Victoria, being Queen Victoria’s Underpants and Queen Victoria’s Christmas.

One of the most remarkable aspects of Bruce’s talent is the breadth of his artistic ability, which includes an appealing cartoon style to realistic representations using mediums ranging from colored pencils, watercolor, acrylic and oils, and, more recently, 3D digital software. 

And accompanying that talent is an intellectual depth and curiosity that sees Bruce taking on large and complex projects, such as The Beach They Called Gallipoli, which was cocreated with Jackie French and was published in 2014 to coincide with the centenary of WW1.

In 2008, Bruce completed his PhD, titled Left Hand Right Hand: implications of ambidextrous image making. In his thesis, Bruce looked at the image making of the non-dominant hand, making the fascinating discovery that in most people the ability to draw lies in the use of the "other" hand.