Skit-Scat Raggedy Cat: Ella Fitzgerald

Candlewick Biographies

by Roxane Orgill, Sean Qualls (Illustrator)

A swinging bio of young Ella Fitzgerald, who pushed through the toughest of times to become one of America’s most beloved jazz singers.

When Ella Fitzgerald danced the Lindy Hop on the streets of 1930s Yonkers, passersby said good-bye to their loose change. But for a girl who was orphaned and hungry, with raggedy clothes and often no place to spend the night, small change was not enough. One amateur night at Harlem’s Apollo Theater, Ella made a discovery: the dancing beat in her feet could travel up and out of her mouth in a powerful song —and the feeling of being listened to was like a salve to her heart. With lively prose, Roxane Orgill follows the gutsy Ella from school-girl days to a featured spot with Chick Webb’s band and all the way to her number-one radio hit "A-Tisket, A-Tasket." Jazzy mixed-media art by illustrator Sean Qualls brings the singer’s indomitable spirit to life.

Genres: Picture Books, Biography, Music, Nonfiction, Childrens, African American, History

48 pages, Hardcover

First published August 24, 2010

About the author

Roxane Orgill is an award-winning writer on music and the author of JAZZ DAY: THE MAKING OF A FAMOUS PHOTOGRAPH, illustrated by Francis Vallejo (Candlewick Press). JAZZ DAY earned six starred reviews and won The Boston Globe-Horn Book Award for Best Picture Book in 2016. Orgill has written several biographies for young readers, including SKIT-SCAT RAGGEDY CAT: ELLA FITZGERALD and FOOTWORK: THE STORY OF FRED AND ADELE ASTAIRE (Candlewick). She is also the author of DREAM LUCKY, a book for adults about big-band jazz, race, and politics in the 1930s (Smithsonian Books). She lives in Dobbs Ferry, NY.

Reviews

[QNPoohBear · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book presents historical facts told in story form. It emphasizes how poor Ella's family was and how rough her childhood and young adulthood years were. The author uses a little bit of period slang but not too much to be overpowering and confusing. The colorful illustrations resembled paintings of the Art Deco era. The book also includes a bibliography, viewing list, on the web list

[SamZ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lots of information and the author doesn't skip over some of the more difficult aspects of Fitzgerald's childhood - but Orgill does keep the book appropriate to read to younger children. There was also some good "more reading" information as well as a good list of music/videos to listen/watch some of Fitzgerald's performances.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think this would be a good book for music teachers to read to the kiddos, and then play Ella's music. Ella's story is also one of great determination. Stories of people rising up from a tough childhood are some of my favorites. It's good for kids to know that their dreams can come true.

[Gina · Rating 3 out of 5]

Creates some sense of time and place, and persistence and optimism, things that Ella really needed.

[Sweet on Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

• 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 or not.

Sweet Book Summary:
Skit-Scat Raggedy Cat: Ella Fitzgerald is an amazing biography of a trail-blazing woman of color, who against all odds and with an amazing amount of hard work, found her way, first, to survival, and then to fame and fortune. Ella was a personal favorite of my late father, and full disclosure, I was weaned on her music. That said, I had no idea of her life until I read this wonderful book. What a life she led! Ella faced enormous odds. Her mother died at a young age, her guardian fed her and clothed her, but did not do much more than that. But Ella's feet wouldn't stop moving to the beat of the new jazz she was hearing coming from that magical place, Harlem. Ella ended up in a school for orphans, but made a remarkable escape from that lonely and terrifying place, and headed straight to her promised land, 125th Street. After a LOT of hard work, sometimes even living on the street, Ella ended up at the Apollo theartre, and the rest, as they say, is history! This lovely biography tells her story respectfully, with outstanding artwork that jumps off the page. I especially liked how the author took Ella's story to a new audience, children, and made it very easy for them to read and understand it.

[James Govednik · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 years leads the reader to begin rooting for Ella. She has no place to stay or take a bath and has to audition in second-hand men’s work boots—the only shoes she could get. The illustrations and rhythmic language provide movement to the story, the way Ella could infuse her singing with that swing beat and get people dancing. A picture-book format makes a biography more inviting, but some young readers may find this text a bit demanding in terms of background knowledge. However, pairing the book with recordings of Ella singing would help land this book on any young reader’s “Top 40.” Ages 9 and up.

[KerriRowland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skit-Scat Raggedy Cat is a musical bio of the very talented Ella Fitzgerald. The bio shows a girl with big dreams, but with small pockets. It gives the reader the detailed version of how this musical sensation had no money, no place to rest her head, but a determination like no other. It’s shows how her fast feet and powerful voice lead her on a magical journey during very hard times. Illustrations are colorful and eye catching, but not a distraction to the comprehension of the text. It’s a great read for multiple uses in the classroom, including the inspiration and dedication we as educators hope to provide.

[Abby Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

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/...

[Dolly · Rating 4 out of 5]

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 familiar with her music.

[Cara Byrne · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Ella was raggedy and poor, but she was tough. All she needed was someone to notice her and give her a chance." I'm a sucker for anything illustrated by the mega-talented Sean Qualls, and this smart, interesting biography of Ella Fitzgerald is no exception. In focusing more on her life as a young adult seeking fame, the story has a great amount of depth.

[Beth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the book was interesting and inspiring but I think the story is more interesting to adults than kids.

[Terri · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is another biography for kids. I wanted to like it a little more than I did. The subject matter is undeniably interesting, but the book itself is just okay.

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to Ella Fitzgerald on you tube after we read the book. She has a beautiful voice.

[Ben Truong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Skit-Scat Raggedy Cat: Ella Fitzgerald is a children's picture book written by Roxane Orgill and illustrated by Sean Qualls. It is a fine biography of Ella Fitzgerald, which crackles with tension and verve.

February, at least in my part of the world is Black History Month, which I plan to read one children's book, particularly a biography, which pertains to the subject everyday this month. Therefore, I thought that this book would be apropos for today.

Ella Jane Fitzgerald was an American jazz singer sometimes referred to as the First Lady of Song, Queen of Jazz, and Lady Ella. She was noted for her purity of tone, impeccable diction, phrasing, intonation, and a horn-like improvisational ability, particularly in her scat singing.

Orgill's text is rather simplistic, straightforward, and informative. Orgill uses precious fragments of historical detail and flirtations with the flash of the spoken word. Qualls creates spreads that reflect the propulsive trajectory of Fitzgerald’s life in an age when everybody was dancing and successive portraits show her turning page by page into a star.

The premise of the book is rather straightforward. Orphaned at fourteen, Ella bounces from unfeeling relatives to an orphanage, then to Harlem’s Seventh Avenue. Her beginnings in music were rather bumpy, but soon through her perseverance she became a notable jazz musician with the ability to scat like no other.

All in all, Skit-Scat Raggedy Cat: Ella Fitzgerald is a wonderful and unforgettable portrait of an artist whose faith in herself carried her when little else did – Ella Fitzgerald.

[Jana · Rating 5 out of 5]

This picture book biography tells the fascinating and inspirational story of Ella Fitzgerald. She grew up at a time when most people had little money, but she was able to dance on the street for spare change. After her mother died, things really went downhill for Ella. With an engaging, narrative text and colorful illustrations done in acrylic, pencil, and collage, this story of how she got her act together through hard work and determination to become a star. It would be fun to listen to some of her recordings to complement the story, especially for young people who probably have never heard of her.

[JoAnne · Rating 2 out of 5]

Mixed feelings on this book - I was excited to find a book about Ella Fitzgerald’s life; I am a fan of her music and I have shared that music with my daughters, and I was excited to read about her life with them too. I feel that the book did a good job explaining the very poor circumstances that Ella was raised in, BUT I don’t feel that this book was written for young readers. It was too wordy and it used slang and jargon from that time period without explaining what it meant. It used 10 words when 5 would have been fine.

[JoAnna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Three-line review: I don't know much about Ms. Fitzgerald, and this books seems to hit the highlights of her life when she was coming of age as a performer. Injecting "sound" into the writing didn't do much for me (see "skit-scat raggedy cat"), and the illustrations felt a bit flat as well. Regardless, it was a well-told story for a young audience about a legendary figure.

[Kristine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Story and illustrations are rich. I didn't know about Ella Fitzgerald's childhood until now. Makes her even more remarkable. My 94 yr old mother enjoyed this book, too. I am so grateful that more and more children's and juvenile books are being written about women and their achievements.

[Raven · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book goes into detail about Ella Fitzgerald life. You see the ups and downs that she went through from losing her mom at such a young age to finally getting a chance to sing live. I do think this book is for older kids or even adults, because of how detailed and lengthy the story is.

[Melissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fabulous illustrations by Sean Qualls. Inspiring story of the determination and talent of Ella Fitzgerald. An afterword would have been welcome, but what is here about her young life is good. Multi-platform bibliography is included.

[Lynn Davidson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an amazing story about an amazing woman, singer Ella Fitzgerald. This excellent biography of Ms. Fitzgerald covers from her poorest childhood days to the height of her fame and success. Nicely illustrated.

[Stephanie]

This genre is based on non-fiction. I really liked this book in terms of historical significance. I think it may have been somewhat advanced for my group of 1st graders. I think it shows great use of dialogue in the book as well.

[Haelee Jenft · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was good with illustrations and it had sort of a comical storyline. The cat in this story was super funny and it was a book that would give you a good giggle. I am super impressed with how this book turned out and the ways that it was really comical and also an easy reader.

[Ellen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Super informative and fun about Ella Fitzgerald. I certainly didn't know her life story before reading this. Definitely recommend this. It made me want to put on her music to remind me of her talent.

[Maeve · Rating 2 out of 5]

A biography of Ella Fitzgerald.

[Jeimy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute picture book about the obstacles Ella Fitzgerald had to overcome in order to earn a living as a singer.

[skcocnaH · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a little too wordy for a picture book. But, the content is good.

[Jbondandrews · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't think Ella could have had a big mouth nor could she has been anything but beautiful.

[Robin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Has a storybook, narrative style. I don’t think is would be very useful for a student writing a biography report since there weren’t many facts about her life. It was interesting to learn what she had overcome in her early life. It bothered me that there was no real life picture of her.

[Julie Lamb · Rating 5 out of 5]

Book Title: Skit-Scat Raggedy Cat: Ella Fitzgerald by Roxane Orgill

Short Description of the Book: In this book, the readers get a sense of singer Ella Fitzgerald as she struggles in her younger years all the way until a discovery is made about how talented this woman was. A star was born.

FOCUS: Informational Features I would use in a Mini-Lesson:

1) When we cover our Harlem Renaissance unit in English III Honors / Advanced Placement English III, this book would be a great tool for the group with either women or music as a topic. The students are split into five groups (Music, Literature, Art, Political and Social Impact, and Women) where they research that aspect during the Harlem Renaissance and create a ninety minute six point lesson plan to teach the class. To get them motivated, this book would be a great device for the music and women group because it is simple yet highly effective and informative.

TEACH: Common Core Standards: English Language Arts (Grades 11-12)

W.11-12.2 Write informative/explanatory texts to examine and convey complex ideas, concepts, and information clearly and accurately through the effective selection, organization, and analysis of content.

1. Introduce a topic; organize complex ideas, concepts, and information so that each new element builds on that which precedes it to create a unified whole; include formatting (e.g., headings), graphics (e.g., figures, tables), and multimedia when useful to aiding comprehension. Use narrative techniques, such as dialogue, pacing, description, reflection, and multiple plot lines, to develop experiences, events, and/or characters.
2. Develop the topic thoroughly by selecting the most significant and relevant facts, extended definitions, concrete details, quotations, or other information and examples appropriate to the audience’s knowledge of the topic. Use precise words and phrases, telling details, and sensory language to convey a vivid picture of the experiences, events, setting, and/or characters.
3. Use appropriate and varied transitions and syntax to link the major sections of the text, create cohesion, and clarify the relationships among complex ideas and concepts.
4. Use precise language, domain-specific vocabulary, and techniques such as metaphor, simile, and analogy to manage the complexity of the topic.
5. Establish and maintain a formal style and objective tone while attending to the norms and conventions of the discipline in which they are writing.
6. Provide a concluding statement or section that follows from and supports the information or explanation presented (e.g., articulating implications or the significance of the topic).

EXPECTED OUTCOMES: I hope students will learn how to read a piece of text about a powerful woman and be able to implement that information into their ninety minute lesson plan when they teach the class about their aspect from the Harlem Renaissance.