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Evelyn Coleman

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To Be a Drum Paperback – Picture Book, January 1, 1998

by Evelyn Coleman (Author), Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson (Illustrator)

4.8 21 ratings

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Daddy Wes helps his children hear the rhythm of the earth. And with the rhythm begins a story of the "drum," the pulse which has moved through the African people and through time and place.

Reading age

5 - 14 years
Print length

32 pages
Language

English
Grade level

Kindergarten - 8
Dimensions

8.5 x 0.25 x 11.25 inches
Publisher

Albert Whitman & Company
Publication date

January 1, 1998
ISBN-10

0807580074
ISBN-13

978-0807580073
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Editorial Reviews

Review

"While the book explicitly addresses African American readers, its strong emotional charge is universal."

Publishers Weekly

"An original."

Booklist

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Daddy Wes helps his children hear the rhythm of the earth. And with the rhythm begins a story of the "drum," the pulse which has moved through the African people and through time and place.

Product details

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Albert Whitman & Company (January 1, 1998)
Language ‏ : ‎ English
Paperback ‏ : ‎ 32 pages
ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0807580074
ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0807580073
Reading age ‏ : ‎ 5 - 14 years
Grade level ‏ : ‎ Kindergarten - 8
Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 4.8 ounces
Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 8.5 x 0.25 x 11.25 inches

Best Sellers Rank: #1,655,028 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
- #137 in Children's Musical History
- #3,415 in Children's Black & African American Story Books
- #47,949 in Children's Literature (Books)

Customer Reviews:
4.8 21 ratings

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Customer reviews

4.8 out of 5

21 global ratings

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Kari

Must read, must share

Reviewed in the United States on February 17, 2016

Verified Purchase

I rarely, if ever, offer reviews of personal purchases. As an Elementary music teacher looking for Black History Month musical resources, this book must be shared. The pastel illustrations are poignant and memorable. The author tells of African American's history through a clear & true storyteller's (as Daddy Wes's) voice. The last page suggests that the child and reader alike try "listening" to the earth's heartbeat and let their body "be free" to create music. Highly recommended for any and all reasons.

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Lauranita Katende

I just love this book

Reviewed in the United States on May 7, 2015

Verified Purchase

I just love this book. The illustrations are sorta multidimensional and like a collage. The story and the use of the language resonate with not only children but all who reads them. What an emotional experience and connection to the origin of humanity. Bravo Evelyn!

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Joann Frasier Dasent

I love sharing it for Black History Month

Reviewed in the United States on February 21, 2016

Verified Purchase

I can't get enough of this book. I love sharing it for Black History Month.

Reviewed in the United States on April 11, 2013

Verified Purchase

I used this book during the cultural fest at my school. My students really loved the story and the illustrations.

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Jesme in MT

Beautiful portrayal of the drum as an instrument of life

Reviewed in the United States on July 16, 2012

I am a teacher, and I'm always looking for good books for children. I picked up this book because I use stories in teaching music sometimes and I figured this might be a good one about drums. It is; but it's about a much deeper subject than feeling the beat through drums. This is a story-within-a story. An African-American father talks to his two children about the story of the drum. It begins "before there were hours and minutes" long ago in Africa, when the rhythm of the earth beat for the people. They listened and it entered into their bodies and they were alive. The spirit moved through their fingers and they beat the earth's heartbeat to each other. But, white people came, shackled us, tore us apart, didn't allow us to speak our own language, and "they took our drums away." The earth's spirit pushed itself through us anyway and "we became the drums." When we worked, our mouths became drums in our singing, when we fought in wars, our courage became drums. A long list of beautiful analogies progresses to "When we wrote our histories, our stories became drums; . . . When we became writers and inventors . . . our dreams became drums." At the end, the children are asked to lay with their heads against the earth and listen to the earth's heartbeat. When they relax enough to hear it, he asks, "What does it say?" The story ends with "You, too, can be free--become a drum." What a beautiful book! The illustrations are vivid and colorful, with the emotions showing on faces. Although it is about African people, I believe the American Indian people in our area might also identify with the deeper feeling of the heartbeat of the drum. It's a book I might have to read more than once for them to get the deeper meaning of it, but I think it will evoke a passion to "listen to the drum" of their hearts.

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