I had the pleasure of starting a dive into the life and legacy of Ella Jenkins when I took a class on Material Culture of Childhood last Fall. I knew I wanted to write my final paper on Black women, care, and material objects for children. Around that time I’d just ordered one of Ella Jenkins’ red kazoos from her merch site, and so it felt right to spend more time with her story. My paper ended up being a reflection on Black women, quilts, Mississippi, music, Ella Jenkins, shoebox lunches, and my Aunt Carole’s memories. One of the many things that came out of that work was a blossoming affection for Ella Jenkins and deep appreciation for the impact she left on the world of storytelling and music.

I was delighted to discover the picture book Make a Pretty Sound: A story of Ella Jenkins – The First Lady of Children’s Music by Traci N. Todd and Eleanor Davis. 2025 seems to be a year of honoring her legacy in print; another book (for adults) was also published, titled This is Rhythm: Ella Jenkins, Children’s Music, and the long Civil Rights Movement by Gayle F. Wald.

Make a Pretty Sound takes its time setting up how Ella came to be a storyteller and musician. The story is centered in a vibrant exploration of her Bronzeville neighborhood in Chicago and in showing and telling the reader how Blackness, sound, and curiosity were constant parts of her upbringing that shaped her into the woman she’d became.

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