That Swingin’ Sound!: The Musical Friendship of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong
by Rekha S. Rajan; illus. by Ken Daley
Primary    Beach Lane/Simon    48 pp.
10/25    9781665957038    $19.99

When Ella Fitzgerald was growing up in New York City, the rhythmic sounds of jazz inspired her to dance everywhere: “at home, on the streets, with her friends,” and on the train to Harlem, where she watched performers at the Apollo Theater and dreamed of being onstage. At the same time, in New Orleans, young Louis Armstrong, in a voice that “rumbled and growled,” had been singing everywhere: “at home, on the sidewalks, near the bayou, with his friends,” all the while dreaming of becoming a famous musician. Later, both dreams came true. Fitzgerald became a jazz vocalist known for scatting “up and down the musical scale,” and Armstrong had picked up the trumpet and was playing all around the country. The two met one night at the Hollywood Bowl in Los Angeles, where they took the stage together, and an enduring friendship and a musical association were born. Rajan’s text is straightforward yet poetic: “The music notes danced from inside of her and swung out to the New York City skyline”; “Louis’s gravelly voice shook out musical notes that rang louder than the afternoon church bells.” Daley’s digital renderings in vibrant colors burst with captivating images of New York and New Orleans jazz scenes. Musical notes dispersed throughout double-page spreads provide cohesion. Back matter includes author and illustrator notes, sources, and recommended reading.

From the November/December 2025 issue of The Horn Book Magazine.