Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa [Hardcover]

Andrea Davis Pinkney (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: April 2, 2002 | Age Level: 5 and up | Grade Level: K and up

Ella Fitzgerald began her life as a singer on the stage of the Apollo Theater when she was just seventeen years old. Her rich voice and vocal innovations brought her fame and a remarkable career than spanned half a century and won her generations of fans around the world. Acclaimed author Andrea Davis Pinkney has told Ella's inspiring story in the voice of Scat Cat Monroe, a feline fan whose imagined narrative sings with the infectious rhythms of scat. Two-time Caldecott Honor winner Brian Pinkney's dramatic perspectives and fantastical images offer a jazzy improvisation all their own.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The talented husband-and-wife team behind Duke Ellington turns to jazz biography once again, this time showcasing the First Lady of Song. Narrated by Scat Cat Monroe, a feline in a zoot suit, the book spins four "tracks" on Fitzgerald's life, from her childhood in Yonkers performing on street corners, to her discovery at a 1934 talent contest at the legendary Apollo Theatre to her move into the "ping-pong rhythms" of bebop. Whether swinging at the Savoy "to a house packed tighter than the A train" or breaking the racial barrier at many clubs ("Ella's popularity showed them that a true star has no color it just shines"), the singer's career is expertly framed to fit a picture book format. The prose, while occasionally labored, swings to a syncopated beat and piles on the synesthesia ("Ella rolled out a tune sweet enough to bake"; "Her voice was quick-fried rhythm, with a brassy satin twist"). Brian Pinkney turns out some of his best work yet. Rendered in a pleasingly high-contrast palette of pastels, the scratchboard illustrations are invested with magical realism, complete with dancers flying off the pages and topsy-turvy musicians. A particularly memorable spread about Ella's hit "How High the Moon" launches her into space on a trumpet with Dizzy Gillespie. A "skippity-hop-doo-dee-bop" picture book. Ages 5-9.
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

Grade 1-4-Scat Cat Monroe, a feline who earned his name by knowing the "Queen of Scat," tells her story from "small-town girl to the First Lady of Song." The text, divided into four tracks (chapters), highlights Fitzgerald's early days in Harlem, singing with the Chick Webb Orchestra at the Savoy, and performing bebop with Dizzy Gillespie at Carnegie Hall. In a playful, conversational tone, this work nearly sings the rhythms of scat. Lively words and phrases like "Her voice was quick-fried rhythm" and "her scat swung to cloud nine and back" are scattered throughout. Brian Pinkney's distinctive scratchboard-and-acrylic paintings evoke the rhythm of the text and invite readers along on the ride. They will enjoy finding Scat Cat himself on most of the spreads. Bright colors, jazzy words, and energetic artwork bring the music of scat and Fitzgerald to life. A page of biographical information is included. This beautifully rendered tribute to the "Vocal Virtuosa" will be a welcome addition in all libraries.
Shauna Yusko, King County Library System, Bellevue, WA
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

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Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 5 and up
  
• Hardcover: 32 pages
• Publisher: Jump At The Sun; 1 edition (April 2, 2002)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0786805684
• ISBN-13: 978-0786805686
• Product Dimensions: 10.8 x 9.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (9 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #131,530 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #41 in Books > Children's Books > Biographies > Musical
  • #89 in Books > Children's Books > Biographies > United States

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

17 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ella enchanted, April 23, 2004

By 

E. R. Bird "Ramseelbird" (Manhattan, NY) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa (Hardcover)

You open this book and the endpapers swirl and glow like black painted silk. They're the first indication you receive that this book is something special. Something different. Something apart from the rest. Using the narrating character of one Scat Cat Monroe, an actual well-dressed feline, the story follows Ella from child to lady of the stage. As we watch, Ella moves to Harlem thinking she's gonna make it big through dancing. Once there, however, she switches her focus and unleashes her fabulous voice. She pairs up with the Chick Webb Orchestra and Al Feldman. She then bebops with Dizzy Gillespie and earns herself the name "The Queen of Scat". It's a fabulous upbeat tale that takes the spirit of Ella Fitzgerald and lets her shine. The best possible tribute to her name.

The text of the story is especially amusing. Sometimes a book will attempt to speak in a jiving slangy sort of way and simply come off as annoying. Other times, the author sounds as if he/she is trying too hard. Fortunately, Andrea Davis Pinkney has everything under control so that when the book says something like, "She won the contest straight up, kicked her dance dreams to the curb, and pinned all her hopes on being a singer", you know it's true. There's a poetry to this book's speech that never crosses the line from authentic to agonizing. Instead, it's got a rhythm all its own.

Accompanying Andrea's text are Brian Pinkney's illustrations. At first I was a little put off by the amount of magical realism evident in its pages. Then I read Brian's inspirations (William H. Johnson, Aaron Douglas, the Art Deco movement, etc.) and it all made sense. And there's no arguing that the pictures here are fan-freakin'-tastic. Brian Pinkey has used scratchboard to make these images as bright and free flowing as they are. The result looks like nothing so much as woodcuts on acid. There's breath and movement to these pictures, and Ella herself has been granted the power of appearing larger than life.

If I've any objections to this book, maybe it comes with the choice of creating Scat Cat Monroe. Do we really need an anthropomorphic cat to lure children into this story? But it's a small complaint. Andrea Pinkney is kind enough to supply a biography, bibliography, videography, and selected discography at the end of the book for future reference. Always a nice touch. The Pinkney duo have truly created one of the best picture books encompassing the jazz, scat, and bebop movements of the past. This is the book to read.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars the first lady of song, February 17, 2003

By 

C. M. Chen (CA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa (Hardcover)

The Pinkney couple's biography on Ella Fitzgerald is a delightful read for young children who want to learn more about the talented jazz artist. The use of narrator Scat Cat Monroe as a device to engage children is successful especially due to his use of language. The rhymes and rhythms the authors adopt to tell the story echo the snazziness of the music at the time. Young readers will thoroughly enjoy getting to know more about the artist Fitzgerald through this story.

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars I love Ella, February 1, 2003

By 

Debra Matthews "ematt1" (Granada Hills, Ca USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa (Hardcover)

I found a children's book about her, even better. It was a great book to jive with. Beautiful pictures, and a nice history lesson on this wonderful woman!