Ella Fitzgerald: A Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa by Andrea Davis Pinkney; illustrated Brian Pinkney

a. Bibliographic data
Pinkney, Andrea Davis. 2002. ELLA FITZGERALD: THE TALE OF A VOCAL VIRTUOSA. Ill. by Brian Pinkey. New York: Hyperion Books. ISBN 0786805684

b. Brief plot summary
Told through the words of Scat Cat Monroe, Ella Fitzgerald’s life unfolds in four “tracks” that enable the audience to follow Ella from the streets of Yonkers to the Apollo Theatre to stomping at The Savoy. Scat Cat Monroe notes the influential people in Ella’s career, as well as the memorable impression she left behind her as she became the “Queen of Scat”.

c. Critical analysis
Author Andrea Davis Pinkney weaves the world of music into this beautifully written biography of Ella Fitzgerald. The be-bop rhythm and syncopated style of text echoes that of the African American musical trends life during the Harlem Renaissance. The narration of Scat Cat Monroe sets the melodic tone of the story with his introduction and continues throughout the book while detailing the events that lead to Ella’s discovery and beyond.

The illustrator, Brian Pinkney, uses a technique called Scratchboard that makes the illustration style unique and very appealing to the reader. The use of color stays true to the Art Deco movement in which Ella lived. Characters are depicted in varying skin tones and body types which add value to the story. Pinkney also paid careful attention to the drawings of Ella Fitzgerald, which helps the biography’s authenticity.

d. Reviews/Awards
• From Publisher’s Weekly: “The prose, while occasionally labored, swings to a syncopated beat and piles on the synesthesia. Brian Pinkney turns out some of his best work yet. Rendered in a pleasingly high-contrast palette of pastels, the scratchboard illustrations are invested with magical realism, complete with dancers flying off the pages and topsy-turvy musicians.”
• From SLJ: “Brian Pinkney's distinctive scratchboard-and-acrylic paintings evoke the rhythm of the text and invite readers along on the ride…Bright colors, jazzy words, and energetic artwork bring the music of scat and Fitzgerald to life….This beautifully rendered tribute to the "Vocal Virtuosa" will be a welcome addition in all libraries.”

e. Connections
• Use as an introduction to be bop or scat in a music education classroom.
• Combine with A Tisket, A Tasket by Ella Fitzgerald herself
• Other biographies of African Americans by Andrea Davis Pinkney
o Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra
o Boycott Blues: How Rosa Parks Inspired a Nation
o Alvin Ailey