Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa

Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa
by Andrea Davis Pinkney, illustrated by J. Brian Pinkney

Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa (Amazon / Library) is an elegant, almost dreamlike book telling the story of Ella Fitzgerald's musical life and career.

Artistic partners and spouses Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney join forces again in this exquisite tribute to the life of a musical icon. Andrea's prose pulls us in to share in her joys and heartbreaks while we are carried along by Brian's beautiful artwork. Bother words and art magically melding together in a mesmerizing masterpiece.

Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuosa (Amazon / Library) earns the Self-Rescuing Princess Society seal of approval for telling the story of a downtrodden girl with a dream she refuses to give up, showing us the power of determination and hard work. This book is ideal for middle grade readers, but the artwork makes it an enchanting storytime or bedtime read for younger children as well. Heck, it's so beautiful, it would make a good coffee table book for adult fans of this legendary singer.

[Note: I have included Amazon Affiliate links in this post. I am exploring options for increasing my income from this blog to help me to continue to bring you the important stories of kickass women and girls. While I will always work to tell these stories, I have bills to pay. By all means feel free to look for these books elsewhere if you prefer. If you want to help support the work I do here, please consider using these links to shop.]

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My Name is Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz

My Name is Celia/Me llamo Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz/la vida de Celia Cruz
by Monica Brown, illustrated by Rafael Lopez

My Name is Celia/Me llamo Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz/la vida de Celia Cruz (Amazon / Library) is my favorite of the many children's books I've read in the last couple years. The book was so much fun to read. Rafael Lopez' illustrations are bright and colorful and perfectly capture the joy of life in Celia's music. The text perfectly captures the rhythm and cadence of Salsa.

Monica Brown takes us on a musical journey through Celia's life, starting as a young girl growing up in Cuba surrounded by the love of her large extended family, and through her adventures following her love of singing and performing. But even though she has to leave her beloved Cuba, she carries the warmth of her memories and pours them into her performances, so perfectly captured in her signature call of "Azucar!"

My Name is Celia/Me llamo Celia: The Life of Celia Cruz/la vida de Celia Cruz (Amazon / Library) is told in English and Spanish, with each on the same page, making this a great book for bi-lingual kids, or kids who are learning a second language. It's a book that's great for middle-grade readers to enjoy on their own, but it is also perfect as a book for younger kids sitting on mom or dad's lap, swaying to the music, jumping to the beat, and dancing around.

[Note: I have included Amazon Affiliate links in this post. I am exploring options for increasing my income from this blog to help me to continue to bring you the important stories of kickass women and girls. While I will always work to tell these stories, I have bills to pay. By all means feel free to look for these books elsewhere if you prefer. If you want to help support the work I do here, please consider using these links to shop.]

I can't do the work of SRPS without your your support!
If you like what you read, please share this post with your friends.

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