Ella Fitzgerald

The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa

Contributors

By Andrea Davis Pinkney

Illustrated by Brian Pinkney

On Sale
Jan 1, 2007
Page Count
32 pages
ISBN-13
9780786814169

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

  • "Brian Pinkney turns out some of his best work yet...A ‘skippity-hop-doo-dee-bop’ picture book.”
    Publishers Weekly, starred review
  • "Cue up the music and read this one out LOUD."
    Booklist, starred review
  • "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...Cool."
    Kirkus, starred review
  • "The Pinkneys have delivered a quick, lively trip back in time."
    The New York Times Book Review

Formats and Prices

Price

$6.99

Price

$7.99 CAD

Format

Format:

  1. Trade Paperback $6.99 $7.99 CAD
  2. Hardcover $16.99 $17.99 CAD

Andrea Davis Pinkney

About the Author

Andrea Davis Pinkney is the New York Times bestselling and award-winning author of nearly 50 books for children and young adults, including The Red Pencil and Bird in a BoxShe has also produced several collaborations with her husband two-time Caldecott Honor-winning artist Brian Pinkney, including Sit -In, Martin & Mahalia, and Hand in Hand, winner of the Coretta Scott King Author Award. Ms. Pinkney has been recognized by Children’s Health magazine as one of the “25 Most Influential People in our Children’s Lives,” and has been inducted into the New York State Writers Hall of Fame. She lives in Brooklyn, NY.

Daniel Minter has illustrated over a dozen children’s books, including Going Down Home with Daddy which won a 2020 Caldecott Honor and Ellen’s Broom which won a Coretta Scott King Illustration Honor. He is known for his work in the mediums of painting and assemblage. He lives in Portland, Maine.

Learn more about this author

Brian Pinkney

About the Illustrator

Brian Pinkney has illustrated numerous books for children, including two Caldecott Honor books, and he has written and illustrated several of his own books. Brian has received the Coretta Scott King Book Award for Illustration and three Coretta Scott King Book Award Honor medals.

Learn more about this illustrator