Skit-Scat Raggedy Cat: Candlewick Biographies

<b>A swinging bio of young Ella Fitzgerald who pushed through the toughest of times to become one of America&#146;s most beloved jazz singers.</b><br><b><br></b>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&#146;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 &#151; 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&#146;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&#146;s indomitable spirit to life.<br>Back matter includes resources for further information and an index.