A swinging bio of young Ella Fitzgerald, who pushed through the toughest of times to become one of America’s most beloved jazz singers.read full description
reviews
Jul 19, 2011
Mary
rated it: 
This is a colorful picture book that depicts the youth of Ella Fitzgerald in the early 1930s. Ella grew up poor but always had music and dance in her life. I love the description Orgill writes, “Ella was a rough-tough raggedy cat on the outside, but inside she was milky and silky and soft and shy.” Her mother Tempie died when she was 14; she was sent to live with her aunt and cousins in Harlem. She was mistreated and eventually ran away. Random people were impressed with her skills, and th
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Feb 15, 2011
Sweet on Books
rated it: 
• This is a wonderful and comprehensive book on the late, great Ella Fitzgerald.
• During the depression, this young woman, against all odds, survived and flourished because of hard work, amazing
talent and spirit.
• While it's a picture book, it has quite a lot of text, so it is best used with an older audience.
• This will make a great addition to a "Great Americans" shelf or "Amazing Women in History" shelf in your library,
Black History month More...
• During the depression, this young woman, against all odds, survived and flourished because of hard work, amazing
talent and spirit.
• While it's a picture book, it has quite a lot of text, so it is best used with an older audience.
• This will make a great addition to a "Great Americans" shelf or "Amazing Women in History" shelf in your library,
Black History month More...
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Dec 28, 2010
James
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Excellent account of the rise to stardom of one our greatest singers. We meet young Ella Fitzgerald when she’s singing and dancing at home and follow her through years of hardship. The book reaches a climax when Ella lands her first big job with Chick Webb’s band and she records her first hit record at age 21 (“A Tisket, A Tasket”). Song lyrics are nicely woven into the narrative, and the illustrations are wonderful. The contrast between her joyful singing and the harsh realities of her teen
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Apr 26, 2011
Sarah
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This is a hard one for me to interpret my feelings on. I learned a few things about Ella that I hadn't known before and I appreciated the rhythmic pacing of the story. However, all in all, this book doesn't provide you with all that much information on Ella's life and focuses on only a small part of her story. Instead, the focus is more on the music she felt in her soul and that's highlighted through the lyrics that are abundant throughout the book. I would have liked more biographical informati
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Sep 17, 2010
Shannon
rated it:
I was disappointed I didn't receive this in the FirstReads giveaway, but I checked it out of the library instead. This is an excellent picture book for intermediate students and older -- I love Ella Fitzgerald's music, but I didn't realize everything she had to overcome to "make it."
I'm also pleased with the resources and links available in the back of the book. I find that these links are often the deciding factor in whether I have a memorable lesson or just a good one -- th More...
I'm also pleased with the resources and links available in the back of the book. I find that these links are often the deciding factor in whether I have a memorable lesson or just a good one -- th More...
Jan 26, 2011
Lindsay
rated it:
I confess to not being the biggest Ella Fitzgerald fan, but this is a nice longer storybook about Ella's youth and rise to fame. I had no idea about her more-or-less orphaned, homeless years in Harlem. The language is bouncy and colloquial, but not alienating for the young audience. The illustrations are lively and joyous. This book was an eye-opener for me, and Ella's rise would likely prove a fascinating journey for grade school-aged children.
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Jun 21, 2010
Teresa Rolfe
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Ella is undoubtedly a jazz giant. Skit-Scat Raggedy Cat tells of her childhood struggle and her entry into the world of music. A gritty tale of talent meets luck, with determination thrown in for good measure. Almost too much of a story for the picture book format. It tells more of her early dancing, than of the scat singing for which she is known, and to which the title refers.
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Nov 28, 2010
Abby
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The words of this biography move like music, telling the story of Ella's teen years. She grew up poor and after her mother died and she got into some trouble with the law, Ella escaped an abusive girls' home and lived on the streets before making her singing debut at the Apollo Theater when she was 17. The text begs to be read aloud and this is a good picture book to share with older readers.
More on the blog: http://www.abbythelibrarian.com/2010/11/... More...
More on the blog: http://www.abbythelibrarian.com/2010/11/... More...
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Aug 14, 2010
Donalyn
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Ella Fitzgerald rose above her humble origins because of her determination and talent. This book focuses on her childhood and early performing career. Although, this book is well-researched and beautifully written, I wondered while reading it whether or not young readers would enjoy it or find it interesting.
Mar 02, 2011
Dolly
rated it:
This is a fascinating look at Ella Fitzgerald's early years and her beginnings in music. I did not know her story and we all learned a bit about this amazing singer. The illustrations complement the story nicely and although I'm not that good of a singer, I tried my best to sing the little bits of songs included in the narrative. We really enjoyed reading this story together. Later, I pulled up some videos on Ella Fitzgerald on YouTube so our girls could see them, since they aren't very famil
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Dec 22, 2011
Cheryl in CC NV
rated it: 
Impulse grab at the library. The text must be read aloud - then you'll hear that dancing jazzy sound that Fitzgerald sang. She had an interesting & inspirational childhood. Good annotated bibliography.
Sep 15, 2010
Debrarian
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A jazzy, poetic picture of Ella Fitzgerald's "raggedy cat" scrappy youth and how, through determination and talent, she made good. A vivid, human picture of the artist as a young woman.
Feb 20, 2011
Alyson (Kid Lit Frenzy)
rated it:
This was really different from another picture book biography on Ella that I had read before. Now I feel like I need to check out more of the facts to see where it lands.
Sep 09, 2010
Just from reading the synopsis of this book I feel like I've already learned something! I'll be quite curious to read the whole book!
Feb 09, 2011
Excellent little story. Too long for a read aloud but good for a book talk or display for Black History Month.
Mar 07, 2011
Ryan
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Mommy's comments: I actually learned a lot about Ella Fitzgerald from this book.
Feb 19, 2012
Laura
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A beautifully illustrated biography of Ella Fitzgerald. The text is descriptive, incorporating Ella's style of singing, and captures Ella's tough teen years. Ella overcame losing her mother at a young age, poverty, adversity and discrimination to make it as a singer. This would be a wonderful read aloud of middle school students learning about the life in the 1930s. It explores so many themes that students touch on as part of their social studies curriculum while giving a face to a specific
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Jun 21, 2011
Raquelle
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What a superb book! I very much enjoyed Roxane Orgill's picture book about Fred & Adele Astaire so I'm not surprised that this book about the early years of Ella Fitzgerald's life was just as good. Fitzgerald had a rough start but went off to become a jazz great. The crux of the story is Ella's determination to sing and dance even in the face of life's cruel obstacles (her mother's death, her mean step-father, her raggedy clothes & appearance, her homelessness and poverty). I highly recommend th
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Jun 02, 2011
Beth
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I thought the book was interesting and inspiring but I think the story is more interesting to adults than kids.
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