Synopses & Reviews
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.
Synopsis
"Scat Cat Monroe" narrates a celebration of the life and career of the first lady of song, noting her distinctive style and far-ranging impact upon contemporary music.
Synopsis
A stunning tribute to Ella Fitzgerald, one of the most popular female jazz singers of all time, from The New York Times bestselling and award-winning duo Andrea David Pinkney and Brian Pinkey
. Readers are taken on a journey through four tracks of Ella Fitzgerald's life, from the streets of Yonkers where she performed as a child to the stage of the Apollo Theater where her singing career began. From there, the story details how Ella became the star attraction with the Chick Webb Orchestra and how she and Dizzy Gillespie headline a sold-out performance at Carnegie Hall. Ella's rich voice and vocal innovations brought her fame and a remarkable career that spanned half a century and won her generations of fans around the world.
In this fantastical jazz biography, readers will experience the life of a vocal virtuosa who has gone down in history as the First Lady of Song.
Don't miss the Pinkneys' other picture book biographies:
Alvin Ailey
Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra
Synopsis
Through the voice of Scat Cat Monroe, a feline fan, an acclaimed author tells the inspiring story of the Queen of Scat while a Caldecott Honor winner's dramatic perspectives and fantastical images offer a jazzy improvisation all their own. Reprint.
About the Author
Andrea Davis Pinkney has written several acclaimed picture books, works of non fiction, and novels. Her titles for middle-grade readers include
Solo Girl,
Raven in a Dove House,
Silent Thunder, and
Let It Shine: Stories of Black Women Freedom Fighters, a Coretta Scott King Honor winner. She is also the author of the picture books
Alvin Ailey;
Duke Ellington (a Caldecott Honor Book, Coretta Scott King Honor Book); and
Ella Fitzgerald, each illustrated by her husband and frequent collaborator, Brian Pinkney. She lives with her family in Brooklyn, NY.
Brian Pinkney (www.brianpinkney.net) is the illustrator of many acclaimed books for children, including the Caldecott Honor Books Duke Ellington and The Faithful Friend, and the Coretta Scott King Award winner In the Time of the Drums.