Duke Ellington

Title: Duke Ellington

Author: Andrea Davis Pinkney

Illustrator: Brian Pinkney

Readability: Grade level Equivalent: 5.5, Lexile Measure: 800L, DRA: 20

Genre: Biography

Theme: African American History, Composers and Musicians

Characters: Duke Ellington

Awards: Caldecott Honor Book, and Coretta Scott King Award

Published: 1998

Publisher: Hyperion Books For Children

ISBN: 0-7868-0178-6

Summary: This is a biography of the life of Duke Ellington.  Duke began playing piano at an early age and was writing his own music in no time.  Duke led the band known as the "Washingtonians", and played "ragtime" tunes.  This is a story of success and triumph over time.  Duke is now known as one of the greatest composers of the 20th century.

Classroom: This biography could be used to instruct students on how to use a timeline or sequence events.  Duke's life is played out in sequence within this story, and can easily be followed by students.