I was texting with a friend of mine the other day about how I like biographies of people who are not as well known. I had not yet found A Life of Song: The Story of Ella Jenkins (The First Lady of Children’s Music) by Ty-Juana Taylor and illustrated by Jade Johnson at that time, but boy does it fit that category. If I had heard of Ella Jenkins, I have since forgotten it. She is a woman who brought music to the people to bring them together. This unknown woman to perhaps many, was doing what she loved (music played her way) and tried to make the world a better place because of that. She would overcome the times, prejudices of being a woman and a woman of color and much more. Ella Jenkins would create music that we still perform and sing today.
It is a sweet, simple introduction to Jenkins, that gives a good amount of information but does not bog you down with too many “just the facts” moments. There are colorful, but lighthearted images that allow the story to not be overly serious, but doesn’t lack in the message. It is a nice biography and shows history from a different angle. The cover is nice, but it does not give you the bigger picture, so do not judge this book by its cover.
No, this book was not my all time favorite book of the year, but it is up there in the top 20 due to the subject being new and fresh. It is currently available (or will be soon as it is officially due in late-late February and/or early March) but I did read it via an online reader copy. 