Duke Ellington

By: Andrea Davis Pinkney, Brian Pinkney

Narrated by: Forest Whitaker

This is a most fitting tribute to a great man who proudly celebrated the history of African-Americans, from slavery to civil rights struggles.

The award-winning author/illustrator team of Andrea Davis Pinkney and Brian Pinkney - creators of the popular picture book "Alvin Ailey" - now present a swinging, vibrant audiobook about the jazz composer Edward Kennedy Ellington, better known as "Duke".

©1998 Hyperion (P)2000 Weston Woods

Good narration and music

If you could sum up Duke Ellington in three words, what would they be?

iconic musical innovator

What about Forest Whitaker’s performance did you like?

He has a lovely speaking voice and his reading complemented the music.

Any additional comments?

This was a lovely short book for children with excellent narration by Whitaker. The music gave a feeling for Ellington's sound. My tween even enjoyed listening to it before bedtime. Highly recommended if it is on sale for a reasonable price!

Enjoyed the Print and Audio together!

My whole family enjoyed listening to the audio, full of music and matching the content and songs mentioned. At the same time, I paged through the book for all to enjoy the beautiful illustrations as we listened. Even my husband thoroughly enjoyed it. What a great start to a homeschool term of learning about the Duke!