Starred Review for reading aloud. She sang like tomorrow wasn't ever gonna come. Introducing himself as a feline fan--a hepcat--who was there throughout Fitzgerald's musical career, purple-suited Scat Cat Monroe (who gets credit on the title page) narrates this picture-book biography that captures the vocal virtuosa's energy and genius. The lengthy text, filled with jazzy colloquialisms, keeps its focus solidly on the music, describing the thrill of Fitzgerald's performances in language that rhymes and slides with the swinging beat of its subject and places readers at the center of the action. Younger children won't understand the sense in many of the phrases, but heard aloud, the rhythm in the words will give them a feel for the music; older readers will enjoy both the similarities to rap and spoken-word poetry: Beebop was jazz on the wild side. . . . It was slam-bamming on the flitter-tip. It was ham-cock-jabber. Fever. Pitch. In his familiar scratchboard style, Brian Pinkney shows the kinetic excitement and joy in swirling portraits that spin and blaze with cool colors and eye-popping patterns. Cue up the music and read this one out LOUD.

Feline narrator Scat Cat Monroe guides readers through a four-part presentation of Ella Fitzgerald's development as one of the world's premier jazz singers: "Hoofin' in Harlem," "Jammin' at Yale," "Stompin' at the Savoy," and "Carnegie Hall Scat." The rhythmic prose suits the subject admirably, as do the vibrantly colored scratchboard illustrations, which feature lots of energy and varied perspectives. A discography is included. Bib.

In this terrific picture-book biography, Scat Cat Monroe, a slick, fast-talking cat tells the story of Ella Fitzgerald, the Queen of Scat. Scat Cat (who shares author credit on the title page) claims to have been there from the start and considers himself the keeper of Ella's flame. Cleverly organized in four tracks instead of chapters, his account chronicles Fitzgerald's unlikely debut at an Apollo Theatre talent contest as a 17-year-old who sings only because she's too scared to dance. From there, it moves to her rousing success with the Chick Webb Orchestra, and then to her eventual teaming up with Dizzy Gillespie, when she would rechart the course of bebop. 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, clueing readers to several departure points for further study. In this vein, the team provides useful afterwords explaining their methods and the historical backdrop to the story—complete with bibliography, videography, and selected discography. The design of this effort is quite remarkable; from time to time, words splash across the pages, and change in font and size, effectively mirroring rhythms and meanings. Using Scat Cat as the narrator allows easy access for younger readers, and his in-the-know voice will win over older ones. Anyone who enjoyed the Pinkneys' other cultural collaborations— Alvin Ailey (1995) and Duke Ellington (1998)—will love what they've done with Ella. Others may simply find themselves inspired by these tales of her genius for invention. Cool. (Picture book/biography. 5-9)

Gr 1-4-Scat Cat Monroe, a feline who earned his name by knowing the "Queen of Scat," tells her story from "small-town girl to the First Lady of Song." The text, divided into four tracks (chapters), highlights Fitzgerald's early days in Harlem, singing with the Chick Webb Orchestra at the Savoy, and performing bebop with Dizzy Gillespie at Carnegie Hall. In a playful, conversational tone, this work nearly sings the rhythms of scat. Lively words and phrases like "Her voice was quick-fried rhythm" and "her scat swung to cloud nine and back" are scattered throughout. Brian Pinkney's distinctive scratchboard-and-acrylic paintings evoke the rhythm of the text and invite readers along on the ride. They will enjoy finding Scat Cat himself on most of the spreads. Bright colors, jazzy words, and energetic artwork bring the music of scat and Fitzgerald to life. A page of biographical information is included. This beautifully rendered tribute to the "Vocal Virtuosa" will be a welcome addition in all libraries.-Shauna Yusko, King County Library System, Bellevue, WA Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information.