Customer Reviews

Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa

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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.

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.

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!

What a great tribute to Ella Fitzgerald!
This book really captures her spirit, and it's fun to read as well. The illustrations are glorius, they give you just about the same feeling you get when you listen to Ella sing.
I hope every elementary school buys this book.
Fran Morris Rosman
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"You may think I look like any other cat. But baby, I'm in a class all by myself. Scat Cat's my name. Scat Cat Monroe. A name I've earned. Got my name from knowin' Ella. Ella Fitzgerald. The Queen of Scat. What's scat? you ask. Scat's the sound that don't hold back. Ella's sound-that was scat. Singing so supreme. Music's velvet-ribbon dream..." Narrated by this cool, zoot suited feline, Scat Cat Monroe introduces the incomparable, Ella Fitzgerald, to a whole new generation of fans. From her humble beginnings in Yonkers, New York, to her contest winning debut at Harlem's Apollo Theater at seventeen, to her meteoric rise, singing with the big bands and jazz artists of the 1930s and '40s, Scat Cat was there, stompin' at the Savoy with the Chick Webb Orchestra and jammin' to cloud nine and back with Dizzy Gillespie. "Now, when Ella performed, she let her lyrics go. She took her singing out to play." Andrea Davis Pinkney's engaging, lyrical text swings with imagery, magic, and rhythm. Brian Pinkney's bold, bright, and inventive illustrations dazzle, as they swirl around the pages to the music of the words. Together, word and art create an inspiring and captivating introductory biography starring the First Lady of Song. With an Author's Note at the end to complete the story, Ella Fitzgerald is an energetic, fun-filled tribute, that's perfect for music lovers 8-12, and also works well as a read-aloud for younger children.

Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale Of A Vocal Viruosa by Andrea Davis Pinkney and Scat Cat Monroe is the amazing true-life picture book story of the First Lady of Song, also known as the Queen of Scat, Ella Fitzgerald. This amazingly gifted African-American singer, and her illustrious achievements are presented with free-wheeling, full-color illustrations by Brian Pinkney and a jivin' prose. A great story to share with young people about the joy of music and reaching for one's dreams, this Weston Woods school library packaging edition is enhanced with the inclusion of a CD of the story with page-turn signals.

This book, in both words and illustrations, is utterly gorgeous. It builds a beautiful, and accurate, picture of the life of one of the greatest jazz legends. Highly recommend this to all ages.

I am an elementary school music teacher, and I purchased this book as part of a lesson on Ella Fitzgerald. It's a little long for the little ones, but we can make it through. The upper grades love all the facts about Ella that are found in the book, and I love the "Scat Cat Monroe" narrator. This is a wonderful book to educate children about Ella. And EVERYONE needs to know about her!

I'm a middle school teacher who is currently using this book with her students. We are not only enjoying it for the fabulous story told in the voice of "Scat-Cat Monroe", but we are also using it to examine the personification, alliteration, similes, and metaphors that abound in the story. The students love the quality papers and the awesome illustrations. There are some great YouTube videos that you can search that help supplement the story and really make it come to life for the kids. Great for Women's History month as well.