Ten Oni Drummers [School & Library Binding]

Matthew Gollub (Author), Kazuko G. Stone (Illustrator)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 15, 2000 | Age Level: 4 and up | Grade Level: P and up

At dusk, on a beach in Japan, a young boy falls asleep and begins to dream, but soon he has company--a tiny oni, creeping up from the sand. Throughout the night, one-by-one, more oni appear, until there are ten in all, and they grow bigger, too. They begin beating their taiko drums, louder and louder. They sail on a raft, play games, have a big meal, and eventually chase away the boy's scary dreams.

In this playful, rhyming story, young children find reassurance and comfort for their fears when scary dreams come their way. Through art and story, children also learn about Japanese taiko drumming and the Japanese words and characters for the numbers one to ten.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

The oni in this combination bedtime story and counting book by the creators of Cool MelonsDTurn to Frogs! may keep readers awake more than it lulls them to sleep. "In dreams I gaze upon the sand,/ beneath the moonlight in Japan," opens the narrative, as a boy standing on a beach watches the first of the 10 ogre-like title characters emerge from the sand. Their lackluster activities (they raise flags, stoke a fire, eat from a large cooking pot) aren't likely to engage readers; even the more raucous activities (such as riding a raft and beating their drums) appear stagnant in the pictures. The rhyme and rhythm of Gollub's singsong verse intermittently falter. Stone's sometimes garish watercolor and colored pencil pictures depict the vividly colored oni as a potentially scary lot. Ironically, a full-spread rendering of the 10 wide-eyed, fanged drummers staring out from the page accompanies the words, "To me they're friendly, and what's more,/ they stand guard over slumber's shore./ When spooky dreams fill me with fright,/ they chase those dreams... into the night." The final spread imparts the volume's most valuable asset: a display of the Japanese kanji characters representing the numbers 1-10 and a demonstration of how to write each one. Ages 2-6. (Nov.)
Copyright 2000 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From School Library Journal

K-Gr 4-In a reassuring rhyming story, 10 Japanese oni appear one by one on the beach. They bang drums, make noise, and increase in size, page by page. As they approach the house of a small boy, they chant loudly and count in Japanese. However, the little hero is not afraid of these colorful wild goblins, for they serve to chase away his spooky dreams and become small sand creatures again at daybreak. This is a humorous look at nighttime fears, a delightful counting book, and an appealing story poem. The verse is crisp and childlike. Stone's vibrant, expressive watercolor-and-pencil illustrations strike just the right balance between being scary and funny. They fill each page with action and color. Clear Japanese characters from 1 to 10 adorn the shirts of each one. The book concludes with a pronunciation guide, background notes, and a number chart. A delightful and unique offering to fill requests for bedtime and counting books.-Beth Tegart, Oneida City Schools, NY

Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 4 and up
  
• School & Library Binding: 32 pages
• Publisher: Lee & Low Books; 1 edition (November 15, 2000)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1584300116
• ISBN-13: 978-1584300113
• Product Dimensions: 8.8 x 10.5 x 0.4 inches
• Shipping Weight: 10.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #996,150 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Matthew Gollub is a children's author, speaker, storyteller and musician. He has created 15 picture books which together have garnered 25 national awards and distinctions. His musical narrations on audio CD--set to jazz, Latin jazz or rhythm and blues combos--accompany some of his most popular books. (Yes, that's also him playing drums behind his vocals.) He delights in introducing rhythmic sounds to kids while engaging their imaginations with stories. His idea of a successful children's book with audio is one that kids, and grown-ups, can savor time and again.

Kudos for Gollub's latest title, "Jazz Fly 2: The Jungle Pachanga", include: Foreword Reviews Best Books of the Year Gold Award Winner; USA Book News Best Books 2010 Award Winner; International Book Awards Winner; Parents' Choice Award; Moonbeam Children's Book Award Gold Medal.

Acclaim for the original "Jazz Fly," his all-time bestselling title, includes: Writer's Digest National Self-Published Book Award; America's #1 Recommended Children's Book, Children's Book Sense 76; Benjamin Franklin Award for Children's Book with Audio; Smithsonian's Notable Books for Children; California Department of Education Suggested Reading; San Francisco Chronicle Editors' Picks.

"Gobble, Quack, Moon," loosely based on the author's family as he grew up, likewise received a Benjamin Franklin Award and was a Top 10 Book Sense selection among independent booksellers nationwide. This title enjoys a further distinction in that the author's mother has named it her favorite book!

A dynamic, bilingual (English and Spanish) presenter, Gollub has performed at over 1,000 elementary schools, providing language arts enrichment for over half a million students. His goal as an author/speaker is to inspire young people to read for fun. He lives with his wife and son in California, one hour north of the Golden Gate Bridge.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Ten Oni Drummers, February 8, 2001

By 

Laura L. Peil (Auburn, Michigan USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ten Oni Drummers (School & Library Binding)

One oni after another rise out of the sand in this delightful book by Matthew Gollub. In this book, the oni are not so much terrible and fierce, but endearing and protecting. They play their Japanese drums (taiko) to ward off any evil in their path. A brief history of the oni, the taiko, and kanji (Chinese characters that were adopted in written Japanese) appears at the end of the book, and a chart is included for those eager to learn to write the kanji.

The illustrations by Kazuko Stone, are bright and cheerful and show the imagination that went into the making of the book.

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A warm story of gentle monsters who help, February 7, 2001

By 

Midwest Book Review (Oregon, WI USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ten Oni Drummers (School & Library Binding)

Kazuko Stone illustrates Ten Oni Drummers, a Japanese story of a young boy who falls asleep on the beach in Japan, awakening in the night to find onis who play taiko drums loudly to chase away his bad dreams. A warm story of gentle monsters who help.

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Taiko Drummers, November 13, 2010

By 

Catherine W. Hughes (Cambridge, MA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Ten Oni Drummers (School & Library Binding)

One by one, ten colorful ogres pound their drums, chasing away a child's scary dreams at night. As daylight comes, the ogres slip back into the sand, ready to return when scariness is at hand. Stemming from Japanese folklore, this book includes end notes about Japanese ogres and drums, oni and taiko, as well as Japanese characters, kanji. Children ages 3-6 will enjoy this cultural counting book about the rhythms of the night.