Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa

by Andrea Davis Pinkney, Brian Pinkney (Illustrator)

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.

Genres: Biography, Music, Picture Books, History, Nonfiction, Childrens, African American

32 pages, Hardcover

First published April 1, 2002

About the author

Andrea Davis Pinkney is the New York Times bestselling author of more than 20 books for children, including the Caldecott Honor Book and Coretta Scott King Honor Book Duke Ellington, illustrated by Brian Pinkney; Let it Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters, a Coretta Scott King Honor Book and winner of the Carter G. Woodson Award; and Alvin Ailey, a Parenting Publication Gold medal winner.

Pinkney's newest books include Meet the Obamas and Sojourner Truth's Step-Stomp Stride, which has garnered three starred reviews and has been named one of the "Best Books of 2009" by School Library Journal. In 2010, Andrea's book entitled Sit-In: How Four Friends Stood Up By Sitting Down, was published on the 50th anniversary of the Greensboro, North Carolina, sit-ins of 1960.

Her mother is a teacher and her father is a great storyteller, so growing up surrounded by books and stories is what inspired Andrea Davis Pinkney to choose a career as an author. The first official story she remembers writing was in second grade — it was about her family. Pinkney was born in Washington, D.C., and raised in Connecticut. She went to Syracuse University, where she majored in journalism. After college, she followed her dream and worked as an editor for Essence magazine, but after watching her husband, Caldecott Award-winning artist Brian Pinkney, illustrate children's books, she decided to switch jobs and became involved in book publishing.

Andrea Davis Pinkney currently lives in Brooklyn, New York.

For more information, please see http://www.answers.com/topic/andrea-d...

Reviews

[Tracey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a delightful, entertaining biography. I listened to the audio book, and the story is magically brought to life by the captivating and expressive voice of the actor Billy Dee Williams.

[QNPoohBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

A jazzy bio of the coolest cat around Ella Fitzgerald narrated by another cool cat- literally- Scat Cat Monroe is the feline narrator of the story of Ella Fitzgerald's life. He breaks the story down into short chapters with a table of contents featured on an old record album. The story is a straight biography of Ella told almost in a jazzy staccato rhythm in places. It uses period jazz slang that may be unfamiliar to readers (like me). I'm not sure I like the style of illustrations. They are inspired by Art Deco and the Harlem Renaissance. The colors are bright and attractive anyway.

The book includes a note from the author, a note from the illustrator, bibliography, videography and discography

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really loved the writing style here. It really feels "jazzy" -- it conveys a sense of the era, a sense of the music, and a sense of Ella's personality. I really feel the text is a shining star here. I liked, but didn't love, the illustrations -- however, I could appreciate them even more after reading the Illustrator's Note stating the inspiration behind the style (Art Deco and the Harlem Renaissance). I've been a fan of the Pinkneys' books in the past, and I'm happy this one did not disappoint. I also appreciate that it showed sources and suggestions for further study.

[Alex Baugh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ella Fitzgerald was the Queen of Scat, so it only makes sense that her story should be told by the very hip Scat Cat Monroe, complete with zoot suit and spats. Scat Cat traces Ella's rise to stardom, dividing her story into four record tracks, cut to cut. Track 1, Hoofin' in Harlem, covers career from its beginning at the Apollo Theater's talent contest as scared 17 year-old dancer turned singer.Track 2, Jammin' at Yale, finds Ella a singer with the Chick Webb Orchestra making beautiful music together at Yale. Track 3, Stompin' at the Savoy, Ella and the Chick Webb Orchestra play Harlem's very popular Savoy Ballroom, where Ella sang and dance her heart out and the two made beautiful music together, even defeating the Benny Goodman Orchestra in a Battle of the Bands. Track 4, Carnegie Hall Scat, finds Ella joining the king of bebop Dizzy Gillespie. It didn't take Ella long to make bebop, "jazz on the wild side," all her own. Together, Ella, by now truly the "first Lady of Song," and Dizzy brought bebop to Carnegie Hall. Scat Cat's jazzy narration is reflected in Brian Pinkney's sometimes playful, always vibrantly colored acrylic on scratchboard illustrations really capture all the energy of a jazz track. Jazz is a true African American music genre, and Black History Month is an ideal time to introduce it and its history to young readers. This pairs nicely with the Pinkney's book Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra.

[SaraKat · Rating 5 out of 5]

Beautiful! I loved the fantastical, art-deco style illustrations and adored the way Ella's story was told using slang terms appropriate to the time. The tension built up on each page so I felt like I had to read faster to find out what happened! I read this book because it was mentioned in my children's literature textbook as an example of scratchboard illustration technique.

Ella's popularity showed them that a true star has no color--it just shines.

[Maryann · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was clean, but I really didn't like it.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

Gave a good overview of her musical career. Gave a lot of songs for us to look up and listen to.

[Danielle LeBlanc · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing in this one really sings (ha!) making for a fun and informative read aloud. Oscar loves listening to music and Ella is in heavy rotation around here. Looking forward to him enjoying these beautiful illustrations and learning more about one of the greats. I wonder if he’ll find the literal scat cat narrator as over the top as his mama…

[Anthony Manna · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Let me tell you Ella’s story./‘Cause, you see, I was there. From the get-go.” That’s the voice of Scat Cat Monroe, the cool dude narrator-guide who pays homage to Ella’s grit, determination, and remarkable talent in four “Tracks:” “Hoofin’ in Harlem,” “Jammin’ at Yale,” “Stompin’ at the Savoy,” and “Carnegie Hall Scat.” Scat Cat Monroe tells of the contest seventeen year-old Ella wins at Harlem’s Apollo Theatre, an early breakthrough that helped secure her popularity among Harlem audiences who were “eating out of her hand” in the 1930s. Ella then gets noticed by Chick Webb, jazz drummer and band leader, who quickly recognizes her talent and mentors her in the swing style of jazz, an entertainment she and Webb’s orchestra bring to Harlem’s Savoy Ballroom for an extended stay. Later, Ella’s bebop vocals accompany Dizzy Gillespie’s “…ping-pong rhythms that gave bebop its sound.” With Gillespie’s band, she moves into scat singing—“abandoning the lyrics of a song to use nonsense syllables to carry the rhythm”—one of her most famous vocal styles. In the 1940s she joins “Jazz at the Philharmonic,” a traveling troupe of jazz musicians that played to racially integrated audiences, particularly uncommon at that time. The rest, as they say, is history. Ella wins thirteen Grammy Awards, a Lifetime Achievement Award, and a National Medal of the Arts. This biography rocks with a writing style that’s hip, musical, and jazzy-poetic, and scratch-board illustrations that keep the story moving with characters that dance, swing, twirl, and soar across electric pages.

Pair the biography with Ella Fitzgerald singing some of her most famous songs. Try: Ella 100: Ella Fitzgerald: 100 Songs For a Centennial, Verve, 2017.

[Jessica Simmons]

The Pinkneys tell the story of another jazz icon, this time the vocal virtuosa and Queen of Scat Ella Fitzgerald. Narrated by feline character Scat Cat Monroe, the book follows Fitzgerald's rise to stardom and the innovative footprint she left on jazz and American culture. Scat Cat's (Andrea's) storytelling is fresh and engaging, making the biography interesting. Brian's scratchboard illustrations invite wonder and evoke feelings of times past. In his note from the illustrator, he mentions taking inspirations from artists in Fitzgerald's era.

I liked this book even better than the Pinkneys' Duke Ellington book, maybe because I'm more familiar with Fitzgerald or because she's a female icon. The creativity of having Scat Cat as a narrator added an extra element of fun, and the bright, bold colors inspired by the Art Deco Movement kept my attention. I love the Pinkneys' imagination in telling a biography. This nonfiction work will definitely appeal to many students. Lastly, I loved the textured paper at the front and back of the book because I felt the elegance and creativity of Fitzgerald in this unique detail.

If I had to choose between having this book and the Duke Ellington book in my classroom, I would choose this one because of Scat Cat and the fact that this story was easier to connect with. (Both books are great, though.) Also, Ella Fitzgerald is more popular, so students are more likely to be able to ask their grandparents about her music and learn to recognize some of her well-known tunes. I would read this book to talk about different kinds of music, American History, or Black History Month, and I would definitely play some of Fitzgerald's music for the class when we read the book. Brian Pinkney's scratch-board style is intriguing to me, so I could show students how to illustrate a story/poem they had written in this style, using this book as a model.

[Shay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ella Fitzgerald was a small town girl with the dream of being a famous dancer. Unfortunately for Ella, her small town didn't have any opportunities for dance so she taught herself and performed on the street. When Ella was seventeen she decided to enter a talent contest. The audience was not impressed with her dancing so she started to sing. Ella ended up winning the contest and decided that she wanted to be a singer instead of a dancer. From that day on Ella continued to peruse singing and overtime her fame began to grow. Soon Ella met a man named chick, a jazz band member, and the two began making music together. Chick and Ella learned a lot from each other and together they were very successful. Over time other famous performers became interested in working with Ella. She began performing and writing songs with some of the most known performers and from then on Ella grew to be one of the most famous singers in the industry.
I gave this book four stars because it was entertaining, interesting, and educational. I did not give the book five stars because although It was a great book, it was very long. This being said I feel as though some children may have trouble sitting through the entire story. Additionally, the content of the book is rather advanced meaning it would be best read by an adult or a well practiced reader.

[Antionea · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is a true story book about the amazon scant singer Ella Fitzgerald. The book starts of with a cat named Scat cat Monroe who says he witness Ella carrier begin. Im not sure if the cat is being characterized as a real person or not. Ella started out as a tap dancer at a very young age. She had an audition at the Apollo Theatre November 21st 1934, she wanted to wow them so instead of tap dancing, she began to sing. She did more than just wow the judges, she won the contest, at the age of 17. She then was introduced to Chick a huge name in the music industry at the time, he put Ella up to a challenge if she could wow the crowd at Yale University he would let her join his band. Ella preformed and blew the cord away, and just like that she got her huge start she again performing in Chick band at the "Stomp at the Savory". Ella began scatting with a famous musician Dizzy in 1947 and they made songs such as " Ticket Tasket" which became a hit.
The literary of this book was very simple big words great for kindergarten readers.
I gave this book five stars because I love true stories and I like how the story stared with Ella's beginning go career, later success as she gets older.

[Emily Scanlon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Book Level: 3.5

Summary: Scat Cat Monroe explains Ella Fitzgerald’s beginnings as a musician and the chances she took to master her craft.

Writing Trait: Voice – The groovy tone and rhyming word choice set by Scat Cat Monroe could be used as a mentor text during the revision stage of the writing process. To prompt students to make their voice heard through their opinion pieces, I would read this text aloud and together we would discuss how Scat Cat made the information his own.

Reading Component: Fluency – This story uses wonderful figurative language throughout the entire piece. Prior to reading this story, I would ask students to listen carefully for the figurative language. We would then discuss how the figurative language added to the flow of the writing. Students could then look at their own writing, and determine where they could add figurative language to improve their work's sentence fluency.

[Natalie Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ella Fitzgerald is a nonfiction picture book about Ella Fitzgerald's rise to fame. She started as a dancer but when she freezes on stage she decides to become a singer. Ella Fitzgerald's Cat takes us on a vocal track all about her where we see how she became the first lady of song.

I like this book. Similar to the space book I think it would be a good way to encourage kids to explore what they want to do with their lives. This book also encourages song and poem which is unfortunately dying in a lot of schools. Finally, the art in the book showcases her love for music so well and highlights her struggling road to fame.

I plan to use this in my classroom to do a career day of some sort. I think it would be a good idea to show them that they can become artists if they work hard and so choose.

[Briana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you kidding me with this book? OMG. AMAZING. I may be slightly biased because I love jazz. One of the first jazz CDs I ever purchased for myself was of Ella Fitzgerald. Love that scat! The art in this book is phenomenal. The colors are rich and vibrant, just beautiful. I think the Savoy Ballroom scene is my favorite image. It makes me feel like I'm in the city about to go swing dancing. *Swoon* "The paintings for this book were rendered in scratch-board--a white board that's covered with black ink, then scratched away to reveal the white underneath. Once the scratch-board drawings were complete, I then tinted them with transparent luma dyes and painted them with acrylics." Boom. Genius. The language is fun and appropriate. Grammy winner, fo sho.

[Jo Oehrlein · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story of Ella Fitzgerald from her first appearance at the Apollo on through her career.

The words try to make you feel the period and the setting. They might need explanation for kids not familiar with the slang or the location.

Example:"The Chick Webb Orchestra had a regular gig at the Savoy. Night after night, they played to a house packed tighter than the A train. The place was crammed full of folks who'd come to shake their tails to the orchestra's sound."

The illustrations really give a sense of the freedom of the music.

[Debbie · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book covers Ella Fitzgerald's first attempts at singing publicly on the corner near her home as a teenager, to the Savoy and beyond. The style is very jive-like, with some language that young readers might not be familiar with. The odd little cat narrator is fine at the beginning and end, but I don't understand his presence at other parts, and it's confusing to young readers for him to assert that "he was there the whole time" when cat's can't live that long. Definitely meant to be read aloud.

[Arinn Wall · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book tells the story of Ella Fitzgerald's rise from a poor but dream-filled girl to becoming one of the best Jazz singers of all time.
I really enjoyed this book. It is written and illustrated in such a fun and lively way. I love Ella Fitzgerald's music, so it was neat putting a story behind her voice.
I would use this book in my classroom to encourage students to follow their dreams and to incorporate music into the curriculum.

[Kayla · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely love this book. It tells the story of Ella Fitzgerald and how she went from the streets to the top concert halls, all while staying true to her roots. There is so much vivid language and interesting phrases, and the book can easily be used in schools not just to discuss unsung (pun intended) historical characters but also to discuss music and art forms. I want to get the other books from this author.

[Suebee · Rating 3 out of 5]

I like the *art style* of the illustrations (scratch board with gouache), but not the *content* of the illustrations - I could have done with less fanciful illustrations (like Ella and Chick Webb floating over the skies of NYC with angel wings) and more realistic ones.

Also, the addition of a "scat cat" (an illustrated cat, a feline) narrator who tries to insinuate that he was there through all of Ella's milestones is a little confusing for children.

[Lynda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read with my 8yo who first learned of Ella Fitzgerald from the PBS series Xavier Riddle. Thanks to EF, she learned about jazz, bebop, scat, Jim Crow, integration and segregation. She enjoyed this poetic story but thought the illustrations were “a bit scary.” They are dark but whimsical with the characters flying and doing other unusual activities. I found them to be fitting to the narration.

[Jillian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read as an audiobook

I read this on a whim and I’m glad I did. I enjoyed this one way more than I did the previous picture book I read by this author. The sound effects were good, but the storyline seemed a bit fragmented and the ending was abrupt. Then again, it is a children’s picture book. Kids should know about the great Ella Fitzgerald, too.

[Jan Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Biography with excellent research. Tells about Ella's career as seen from the Scat Cat who observed her. Great jazz language, musical definitions. Mentors, Bands, Performances all named and dated and the illustrations are superb.

[Maggie Harshaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

DRA Level:38
Lexile: ~675
Applicable Traits: ideas, presentation, and word choice.

This is a good book that describes Ella Fitzgerald's journey to fame. It is a fun read with scat singing included that kids would find fun to listen too.

[Sami Snow · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a gorgeous story about the life and legacy of Ella Fitzgerald told from the perspective of a member in her orchestra (who is also a cat). The illustrations are magnificent and do justice to her beauty and talent as well as the time period.

Trait: Presentation
AR: 3.5
DRA: 38

[Sherria Parchman-Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

Non-Fiction Biography
Grade 3-6

This is a story is upbeat, jazzy, and it has phenomenal illustration. It's written in Jazzy rhythm Scat music and she was known as the queen of scat for her innovational voice. This is an awesome read, and I would make book apart of my classroom library.

[LeeTravelGoddess · Rating 5 out of 5]

VOCAL VIRTUOSO could not describe it better!!! I mean, it’s Ella… where is the flaw?!?!?! She shares a bday with my brother and I did not know that. I love this woman & can’t wait to read more about her beautiful life and voice.

[Brooke Call · Rating 3 out of 5]

I chose this book because I wanted to learn more about who Ella Fitzgerald was. I liked it because it told in detail about her life from when she was a little girl to when she became famous. I liked that it included the different steps she had to take to become successful. It shows students that hard work can pay off in the end.

[WriteTheVision · Rating 3 out of 5]

audiobooked.

[Kirsti · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed the audio version, which included an Ella song.