Skit-Scat Raggedy Cat: Ella Fitzgerald

Skit-Scat Raggedy Cat: Ella Fitzgerald
by Roxane Orgill, illustrated by Sean Qualls

Skit-Scat Raggedy Cat: Ella Fitzgerald (Amazon / Library) tells the story of her life from childhood to the beginning of her remarkable career.

Roxane Orgill's love of music is evident in her lyrical prose, as she shows us the life of one of music's greatest performers who grew up dancing for change on the streets of Yonkers showing off steps she learned by taking the train up to Harlem to watch the dancers in the Cotton Club.

It also tells of the extreme hardships she endured as a child living in abject poverty being raised by an uncaring aunt. It doesn't gloss over the danger she was in, nor does it shy away from talking about how Ella was sent to a reform school. Instead, it shows a tenacious young woman who refused to be held back. Eventually she earned herself a spot on the stage at the Apollo's amateur hour dressed in hand-me-down rags and old work boots. And after a moment of paralyzing fear, she began to sing. And that's pretty much all it took. She won the top prize, found herself taken in by experienced performers, and she was on her way.

Sean Qualls' artwork is full of energy, and perfectly captures the era's jazzy style Ella came to embody. Bright, bold colors make each image a visual treat to look at while bringing the story to life on the page.

Skit-Scat Raggedy Cat: Ella Fitzgerald (Amazon / Library) is ultimately an inspirational book, showing Ella's determination to find a way into the life she wanted. Each stage in her early life is broken into its own chapter, making it a good book for beginning readers.

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