Writing Tip #3 - Using a different narrator other than the main character to tell his/her story

Finally, let’s take a look at the playful and innovative biography by Andrea Davis Pinkney, "Ella Fitzgerald: The Tale of a Vocal Virtuousa" (Hyperion Books, 2002, illustrated by Bryan Pinkney).

What I loved about this playful and inspiring biography picture book was how the Pinkneys decided to have a CAT narrate the story. It opens with an introduction from an imaginary cat named "Scat Cat Monroe." This was a unique and clever way to tell not only the life story of Fitzgerald but also a creative way to explain bebop jazz and "scat rhythms" to children.

Some excerpts: "Chick Webb was born with a beat in his bones. He was a master drummer. A musician with a fix on jazz... he showed Ella the right way to deliver a song. He taught her how to shade the high notes and light the lows. To grab hold of a tune. To wrap her voice around each melody... Ella set 'Harlem Congo' on fire. Her voice was quick-fried rhythm, with a brassy satin twist. She sizzled with Chick's cymbals. Busted loose with his bongos... and man, that ain't all! Ell worked the downbeat. She MILKED the downbeat."

See the rhythms of the language? Full flowing sentences followed by fragments? Unique imagery like "quick-fried rhythm with a brassy satin twist" bring jazz music alive for a reader who can't "hear" the music but can imagine it thanks to this descriptive language.

The book is divided into four sections, like songs on a record album - they're listed as "Track 1, Track 2...etc." Because the subject matter is complicated - it teaches children not only about the life of a famous jazz singer but also explains what jazz music IS - the use of the funny "Scat Cat Monroe" as the narrator helps the child reader focus so it's not so scary to absorb all this sophisticated information. The ending is really cute and fun, too: "I'm the keeper of Ella's flame. The teller of her tale. The Scat Cat. So kid, don't be fooled by phony felines. A cat by any other name ain't the same. Take it from me Scat Cat Monroe. I was there. With Ella. From the get-go."