Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa

Pinkney, A. D., & Pinkney, J. B. (2007). Ella Fitzgerald: The tale of a vocal virtuosa. New York: Jump at the Sun/Hyperion Books for Children. The narrator, Scat Cat Monroe, takes through the life of the famous jazz singer Ella Fizgerald. From dancing on the street corners to singing on the stage of her first talent show, Ella made her mark on the jazz scene. Although she had to face challenges, she eventually captured her audience. After performing, Ella would join the packed crowd and dance the night away with her fans. Ella took on any kind of music that was popular at the time and made it her own. As Scat Cat Monroe says, “Ella put scat on the map.”

Andrea Davis Pinkney tells the story of how Ella Fiztgerald came to the spotlight of jazz music.  She fills the pages with rhyme through lyrics, and uses such descriptive language, that the reader can imagine the story being read aloud to them through Scat Cat Monroe. She is able to capture the jazz scene in the 1930’s and 1940’s. She draws attention to the story by changing the font throughout the story from average text, to larger and more attractive fonts.

Brian Pinkney fills the pages with so many colors that one cannot help but be drawn to the pages. Skin tones are of a milky chocolate, while facial features are distinct. The reader is able to see what emotions the characters are exhibiting with every crease of expression. The clothing is set in it’s time with the women in dresses and the men in suits and ties. The hues of the clothing are just as colorful as the pages; greens, yellows, purples, reds, all colors of the rainbow. Pinkney brilliantly captures the story through his artwork.

Ella Fiztgerald would be a great source to extend a lesson on poetry or use when discussing the time period or music genre.  Art students could refer to the book as well to view the color usage and line definition used to illustrate the characters and scenes.

Reviews

Publishers Weekly

The team behind Duke Ellington here showcases the First Lady of Song, in what PW's starred review called "a `skippity-hop-doo-dee-bop' picture book." Ages 5-9. (Jan.) Copyright 2007 Reed Business Information.

School Library Journal

Gr 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.

Kirkus Reviews

In this terrific picture-book biography, Scat Cat Monroe, a slick, fast-talking cat tells the story of Ella Fitzgerald, the Queen of Scat. Scat Cat (who shares author credit on the title page) claims to have been there from the start and considers himself the keeper of Ella's flame. Cleverly organized in four tracks instead of chapters, his account chronicles Fitzgerald's unlikely debut at an Apollo Theatre talent contest as a 17-year-old who sings only because she's too scared to dance. From there, it moves to her rousing success with the Chick Webb Orchestra, and then to her eventual teaming up with Dizzy Gillespie, when she would rechart the course of bebop. The prose is jazzy and rhythmic in the voice of a hipster, and it's expertly illustrated with images inspired by the works of Harlem Renaissance artists, clueing readers to several departure points for further study. In this vein, the team provides useful afterwords explaining their methods and the historical backdrop to the story-complete with bibliography, videography, and selected discography. The design of this effort is quite remarkable; from time to time, words splash across the pages, and change in font and size, effectively mirroring rhythms and meanings. Using Scat Cat as the narrator allows easy access for younger readers, and his in-the-know voice will win over older ones. Anyone who enjoyed the Pinkneys' other cultural collaborations-Alvin Ailey (1995) and Duke Ellington (1998)-will love what they've done with Ella. Others may simply find themselves inspired by these tales of her genius for invention. Cool. (Picture book/biography. 5-9)