Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa

BIBLIOGRAPHY :
Pinkney, Andrea Davis. 2002. Ella Fitzgerald: The tale of a vocal virtuosa. Ill. by Brian Pinkney. New York: Hyperion Books for Children. ISBN 0786805684.

PLOT SUMMARY:
The story of Ella Fitzgerald from young girl to mature woman is told by a scat cat called Scat Cat Monroe. This story starts off as a “tale” of a young woman from Harlem who dreamed of becoming a dancer. Fate steered her towards singing and her career took off by chance after entering a talent contest. She won the contest and gained the attention of a swing band member. With his help, Ella went on to become a very talented singer. She sang with the Chick Webb Orchestra, Dizzy Gillespie and recorded a song called “A-Tisket. A-Tasket”. She became a well known singer for her "scat" style of singing that matched the beat of the big band era instruments.

CRITICAL ANALYSIS:

The illustrations contain cultural markers such as skin tone, facial features, body type, clothing of the era, hairstyles and hair texture representative of the African American culture. Lots of rich and vibrant colors cover the full two page spreads. The illustrator’s notes at the end of the story explain the paintings for the story were done on “scratchboard – a white board that’s covered with black ink, then scratched away to reveal the white underneath.” Not much white color is evident in the pages.

The text describes Ella as a “big-boned girl with dreams” who wore “work boots and hand-me-downs”. Language and speech patterns are evident in this story set in the 1940’s era of big bands and bebop music. The narrator, a “scat cat” describes Ella as “Hoofin’ in Harlem” and a woman that “worked the downbeat and “milked the backbeat.” The identification of specific culture for the 1940’s musicians is also apparent in the slang used in that time period, such as “cats and kitties” coming out to play and referenced to Ella and her friend Chick as a great combination just like “grits and gravy”.

The story was a little hard to follow with all the period slang. This picture book would best be understood and appreciated by older children, young adults and adults.

REVIEW EXCERPT(S):

Review from 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.”

Review from BOOKLIST: Gr. 3-5, younger for reading aloud. "… [a] purple-suited Scat Cat Monroe (who gets credit on the title page) narrates this picture-book biography that captures the "vocal virtuosa's" energy and genius. The lengthy text, filled with jazzy colloquialisms, keeps its focus solidly on the music, describing the thrill of Fitzgerald's performances in language that rhymes and slides with the swinging beat of its subject and places readers at the center of the action. Younger children won't understand the sense in many of the phrases, but heard aloud, the rhythm in the words will give them a feel for the music … In his familiar scratchboard style, Brian Pinkney shows the kinetic excitement and joy in swirling portraits that spin and blaze with cool colors and eye-popping patterns.”

Review from 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.”

AWARDS

2003 American Library Association Notable Books for Children

CONNECTIONS
Activities

*Use as read aloud for biography or history.

*Have students make their own scat music and discuss cultural music.

*Use as read aloud in art class and have students create their own scratchboard art.