Stylishly illustrated this is a piece of non-fiction, the inspiring story of a special friendship, and a bit of a mystery story too. It introduces young readers to Ella Fitzgerald and describes the beginning of her career when she and her band were not allowed to perform in some clubs because of the colour of their skin. But Ella had one big fan determined to do something about that – who was it? The story reveals it was Marilyn Monroe, and describes the close friendship between the two women and how Marilyn helped Ella get the attention her music deserved. It’s a great story perfectly told through Helen Hancocks’s bold, vibrant illustrations and in clear engaging text and it brings a particular piece of history vividly to life. ~Andrea Reece
Ella Fitzgerald sang the blues and she sang them good. Ella and her fellas were on the way up! It seemed like nothing could stop her, until the biggest club in town refused to let her play… and all because of her colour. But when all hope seemed lost, little did Ella imagine that a Hollywood star would step in to help. This is the incredible true story of how a remarkable friendship between Ella Fitzgerald and Marilyn Monroe was born - and how they worked together to overcome prejudice and adversity. An inspiring story, strikingly illustrated, about the unlikely friendship between two celebrated female icons of America's golden age.
Helen Hancocks graduated in 2011 with a frst class degree in illustration with animation from Manchester School of Art. She is the best-selling author/illustrator of William and the Missing Masterpiece, William Heads to Hollywood, and Penguin in Peril. For Frances Lincoln Children’s Books she illustrated How to Look After Your Human – A Dog’s Guide by Maggie Mayhem with help from Kim Sears. Helen’s illustratoins are a mixture of crayon, watercolour, ink and pen, combined digitally.
