Duke Ellington

Author: Brian Pinkney
Illustrator: Brian Pinkney
Publisher: Hyperion
Date: 1998
Awards: Caldecott Honor Book (1999).
Ages: 6-10
Topics: picture book, nonfiction, biography, music, piano, jazz, Harlem
Summary: Explore the life of Duke Ellington. The vivid colors help you feel the music!

Topic Connections

Biography

• Biography
• Inventor Hall of Fame
• Inventor of the Week
• My Hero Project
• CNN Heroes
• Role Models on the Web
• Rock and Roll Hall of Fame
• The TIME 100

Duke Ellington

• Duke Ellingston from ArtsEdge, Smithsonion and MENC
• Duke Ellington from Wikipedia
• Duke Ellington from Hot Jazz
• Duke Ellington - Offical Web
• Duke Ellington from Jazz at PBS
  Listen to audio samples
• Duke Ellington Panorama
• TDES: Celebrating 100 Years of Duke Ellington

Harlem and Jazz

• Harlem.org
  Explore jazz history through a single photograph including artists, instruments, and jazz styles.

Jazz

• 42explore: Jazz
• Jazz from Wikipedia
• Jazz Kids
  Lots of fun jazz activities for kids

Learning Connections

• Activities. Try the online activities from Ellington, Music, and Color.
• Be a Critic. Read a short online biography. Critique the article citing evidence found through other sources.
• Biography. Snowflake Bentley is a biography. Learn about someone and write a biography. Use photographs as inspirations for the illustrations. Use the Bio-Cube and Biography Maker to help plan your project.
• Composer. Choose another composer to explore. Compare this person to Duke Ellington. For ideas, go to Harlem.org or PBS Jazz.
• Instruments. Explore the musical instruments used in Jazz. Pick one to learn more about. Listen for the instrument in Jazz compositions. Go to the Harlem Instrument page for some ideas to get you started.
• Join a Jazz Band. Try the interactives at Jazz Kids.
• Scrapbook. Explore the Duke Ellington online scrapbook. Compare it to the illustrations in the book. How are the illustrations alike and different from the photographs. What makes the illustrations unique and interesting?
• True to Life. Does this book do a good job reflecting the life of Duke Ellington? What's missing? What would you add?

Teaching Connections

• Duke Ellington Centenntial Celebration
  Try five lessons related to Duke Ellington
• Jazz Connections
  • JAM: Jazz Appreciation Month from Edsitement
• Harlem Connections
  • Harlem Renaissance: A Living Museum from ArtsEdge
  • Musical Harlem from ArtsEdge

Learn More

Do a Thinkfinity search for lessons related to this book.

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