Customer Reviews

Jungle Drums

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I bought this book for my 5 year old and it is one of our favorites. The story is interesting and the pictures are fantastic. A great plus is the fun you and your children will have searching for the hidden wildebeast. They are always easy to find! Great for a gift as well!

Being an artist and art teacher, Graeme Base books are some of my favorite. I purchase every book when it comes out. The great stories, and the fantastic illustrations...and this book is not exception. Some of his best illustrations, and a great story in the ugly duckling realm with a twist or two. Highly suggest for all ages!

In a world where there are so many differences it is nice to find literature that can be used to help children learn to accept not only others but themselves. This is a great book to open discussions for children regarding the importance of appreciating and embracing the characteristics and attributes that we have all been given and celebrate our differences rather than fear them or belittle or bully others because of them. An added treasure in the book are trying to locate the hidden and evolving animals as the story evolves. A very gifted writer and artist!

Children's books have long been used to shape ideas and values for kids-remember the impact that Cinderella finding Prince Charming has had on millions of women all over the world?

Jungle Drums is another classic book that teaches kids that different is just different, not better or worse. Beautifully illustrated, the book draws readers into the Jungle where unbelievable things happen to the warthogs and their rivals.

The hero is little Ngiri, a warthog, who learns valuable lessons on friendship and self-esteem.

For more books that help kids celebrate "all kinds and not just 'our' kind" check out Families are Forever Dumplings are Delicious and Tooth Fairy Tales

I am a student in Elementary Education and my mother-in-law (a teacher) gave me this book for Christmas. I was able to use it in a presentation, we did a story impression, and loved it. It was also a big hit with the rest of my classmates. Base's illustrations and story line are amazing in this book. I can't wait to purchase more!

This is an awesome book. The graphic images are worth the price alone. This is a fun childrens story that kids will love to read again and again. The "find" the hidden graphic on each page is a nice little bonus. Like his other books Graeme Base does not disappoint. Your kids will love the book.

The person who received this book enjoyed it immensely and shared it with the children at her elementary school. They had a wonderful time searching through the beautiful illustrations for the hidden surprises.

I have bought all of Graeme Base's books for our now 9 year old granddaughter. I have been recommending them to friends for their grandchildren and asked tonight which she liked best. She said "Jungle Book" and went into the reasons she liked it best. She had told me earlier that he is her favorite author. She read her first at 7 years and I have tried to keep her supplied. Though I don't think that "Discovery of Dragons"is for small children. The language is very sophisticated.

I recently stumbled onto - and fell in love with - Graeme Base when we checked out "The Legend of the Golden Snail" from the library. My four-year-old daughter and I both got so lost in the magical feast of Base's artwork and story-telling that it was hard returning it. So I bought our own copy, along with two other Graeme Base books (so far!), including this one.

"Jungle Drums" was no disappointment. It is equally as rich and delightful as our first taste of Base. Ngiri Mdogo is the Smallest Warthog in Africa. The other Warthogs make fun of him for his size. The Other Animals - vain spotted, striped and plumed creatures - make fun of him for being ugly. Ngiri Mdogo is NOT HAPPY.

But Old Nyumbu the Wildebeast has something that might help - bongo drums that grant wishes when played. But be careful, "wishes can come true, but not always as you expect."

So Ngiri Mdogo plays the drums that night. In the morning, however, he is exactly the same. But look out, the Warthogs and the Other Animals have all changed. The Other Animals are plain and humiliated, while the Warthogs are colorful and proud. The Other Animals assume that the Warthogs must have stolen their markings and they demand their return. With tensions mounting, Ngiri Mdogo must do something.

So he plays the bongos again that night. In the morning, the Other Animals' markings have returned - but to the wrong animals. Meanwhile, the Warthogs have become even more like the Other Animals and they're not pleased about it. The Warthogs and the Other Animals each assume that the other has put a spell on them, and they stomp off angrily across the river.

Ngiri Mdogo - to the surprise of both the Warthogs and the Other Animals - confesses his role in the goings on. He then tries the bongos one more time that night. In the morning, everything is back the way it was. Or is it? Ngiri Mdogo is still the Smallest Warthog, but then, someone has to be. The Warthogs and the Other Animals all get along and there's no more teasing or boasting. And if you look closely, you just might see how their internal changes are reflected in their appearances.

I love so much about Graeme Base's books, but perhaps what I love most is his repect for his readers, including children. Although this book is aimed at younger kids (approximately ages four to eight), he does not write down to them. This book is chock full of positive messages about the vanity of appearnces, liking yourself for who you are, cooperation and other important themes, but the messages are as seemlessly hidden in the story as the image of Old Nyumbu is hidden on each page. Base doesn't make anything too obvious or too easy. We have to use our imagination to guess what, specifically, Ngiri Mdogo is wishing for. We have to use our eyes and our minds to find the visual treats hidden on each page. But nor does Base make anything unnecessarily difficult or obscure. Each discovery is a revelation and the book as a whole is a decadent delight.

All of Graeme Base's books are absolutely stunning from the story to the illustrations. The story is wonderful and only exceeded by the gorgeous illustrations. This book can be read cover to cover but then it is also fun to go back and solve on the hidden puzzles.