Drum City

May 24, 2010
A makeshift drum line of kids—banging away at everything from pots and pans to garbage lids—wakes up a city from its torpor, and pretty soon everyone is joining in the fun. "People in traffic keeping the beat/ on the hood and the trunk/ and the bicycle seat." Debut author Guidone seems more interested in portraying kid power (" 'March!' calls the boy in the yard full of drums") and the activation of the grownups' inner drummers ("Mamas in rollers rock babies in strollers") than in conveying how the congenial cacophony actually sounds—the rhyming isn't particularly percussive, and there is a curious absence of onomatopoeia. Though many of the details in Newton's (Let Freedom Sing) digitally rendered artwork appear to set the story in the present, her 1950s-styled characterizations (one of the girls even wears Mary Janes and frilly ankle socks) are in keeping with the lowtech nature of the fun that's being had. The irony-free exuberance of Guidone's text and Newton's warm-hued crowd scenes give this book a lovely, old-fashioned feel. Ages 4–7.

July 1, 2010
PreS-Gr 2—-he creation of Drum City starts in the yard of one small boy beating on a large pot with a whisk and spoon. Other children quickly arrive, carrying a variety of items that converge into a "frolicking, rollicking ruckus of rumbling drums." As the band marches down the street, adults perk up their ears to listen. Soon young and old join the rhythmic parade that celebrates the multiethnic connections of people making music together. Newton's exuberant cartoonlike Photoshop illustrations capture the faces and movements of the participants. Guidone's jaunty text needs to be read aloud, although advance practice is recommended to master the tongue twisting required in some sections. Expect listeners to clamor for drums of their own.—"Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, Mankato"

Copyright 2010 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

May 15, 2010
Preschool-G Boy in the yard / drumming so hard, / calling all kids / to come drum in the yard. Leaning against a tree and beating a kettle with a spoon and whisk, a smiling young drummer seems to be in the zone, mesmerized by his own beats. An exuberant, multicultural crowd quickly gathers, and as hundreds and hundreds of kid drummers march down the streets, they turn the heads of the ho-hum passersby. No one can resist the beat of the drum, and the parade makes the world smile and join in: People in traffic keeping the beat / on the hood and the trunk / and the bicycle seat. / Mamas in rollers / rock babies in strollers. Guidones steadily rhythmic, rhyming text captures the allure of a beating drum, and Newtons catchy illustrations echo the cadences of people at work (plumbers drumming on pipes, a dockworker tapping a crate). The crowd parading over the arch of a globe shows the worldwide appeal of rhythm, which will start listeners tapping for sure. A great choice for an active storytime.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2010, American Library Association.)