Ella: Queen of Jazz
Publisher: Frances Lincoln Children’s Books
Ella loves to sing. She tours the country singing jazz and country tunes. She and her band are wonderful; their star is rising. But Ella isn't welcome everywhere, especially at the biggest venue in town - simply because of her skin colour. Making the big-time can't happen.
But Ella's magic has gained her many friends, including the country's most beautiful, glamorous woman. Ella's secret friend calls the venue: if they book Ella, she'll sit up front every night. Hollywood flocks to the shows and when the run finishes, the unlikely friendship between Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe endures.
The illustrations' glorious ice-cream colours and bold jazzy shapes ooze retro glamour in this story of two incredible women: their friendship, their talent and their determination to fight prejudice.