That Swingin' Sound!: The Musical Friendship of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong

That Swingin' Sound!
Co-Authors / Illustrators
Age Range
4+
Release Date
October 14, 2025
ISBN
978-1665957038
Buy This Book
     
This rhythmic read-aloud picture book biography that’s “as dynamic as it is informative” (BCCB, starred review) dances through the musical childhoods of jazz legends Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong, their rise to stardom, and the friendship that kept them swingin’.

Ella Fitzgerald loved to dance. When little Ella heard jazz music, the music notes moved her legs as she twirled around New York City. Way down south, Louis Armstrong loved to sing. When jazz music played, young Louis’s voice rumbled like a steam train in New Orleans. While Ella dreamed of dancing on stage and Louis of being a famous singer, it wasn’t until they switched things up that they became famous, Ella for singing and Louis playing the trumpet.

The two jazz musicians had heard of each other, but never had a chance to meet. Until one magical night when they took the stage together, the music started to swing, and a lifelong musical friendship was born.

This true story about world-renowned jazz artists Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong’s musical partnership is a testament to the power of dreams, music, and friendship to help us all keep playing on.

Editor review

1 review
Vibrant dual biography
(Updated: June 15, 2026)
Overall rating
 
4.3
Writing Style
 
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
5.0
Learning Value
 
3.0
That Swingin' Sound is a beautiful book that gives some of the backstory of two of the most iconic jazz performers of the mid-twentieth century.

This is tuneful biography written in a way that sounds like music! Rekha does such a lovely job of creating music with her words all the way through this text in so many ways, she includes things like rich similes and fun scat sections, and beautiful combos that sing and play their way through the book.
The love of jazz and swing shines through.
I would have loved additional facts about Armstrong and Fitzgerald in the backmatter to support this biography, instead of just additional source material.

Ken Daley’s captivating artwork weaves through highlighting the movement of tapping toes, floating notes, and dancing bodies. I loved how he showed music bringing vibrancy to an otherwise dull life.

Rekha Rajan and Ken Daley bring an appreciation of the music of Ella Fitzgerald and Louis Armstrong to a new generation.
Comments (0) | Was this review helpful? 0 0

User reviews

There are no user reviews for this listing.
Already have an account? or Create an account