Duke Ellington: The Piano Prince and His Orchestra (1998)

Beautiful woodcut-style, boldly colored artwork accompanies lyrical and rhythmic prose sprinkled with Jazz era slang. Duke Ellington is a great composer and this is a great introduction to him! Not for the shortest attention spans. Third grade is probably ideal. ( )

Beautiful cross-hatched portraits of African American peoples in the early 1900's are surrounded by flowing waves of music represented in color. Verse like prose that reads like vintage jazz sounds is genius and melodic. This book is hypnotic. ( )

Duke Ellington did not always enjoy playing the piano. In fact, he despised it until he encountered someone playing ragtime music. He taught himself how to play in this style, began performing, and then started his own band. News of their band spread across the country, people listened on the radio, and records sold by the thousands. Ellington and his band were even invited to play Carnegie Hall, where he debuted a suite that celebrated African American history. Ellington is still one of the most influential American musicians and has shaped much of jazz music today. ( )

This biography of Duke Ellington makes his story come to life from the illustrations to the text. Bright colors with scratch print makes each page enjoyable and I love how Pinkney incorporates the members of Duke's band. I thoroughly enjoyed this story and would share it with children of all ages! ( )

Music lesson or history lesson ( )