Drummer Boy of John John

August 27, 2012
A roti (a folded pancake "filled with chicken and secret herbs and spices") might not seem like a rich enough prize to inspire the creation of a musical instrument, but Winston is hungry, and he knows that the best band in the Carnival parade will win one. He discovers that cookie tins and paint cans in the junkyard make sounds ("tom ping tom pah") and that he can "tune" the metal surfaces by hammering them. This is a biography of a real person: Winston "Spree" Simon is the creator of Trinidad's signature steel drum. Working in gouache, Lessac, who worked with Greenwood on The Donkey of Galli-poli, combines bright tropical backgrounds of lemon yellow, sky blue, and palm green with the crowns, feathers, streamers, and rhinestones of Carnival costumes to make folk artâstyle paintings with firecracker energy. Funky onomatopoeia should give out-loud readings pizzazz ("The chac-chac players rattled rustling sounds. shoush-shap shukka-shap shoush-shap shukka-shap"), and dynamic type makes the words shimmy on the page. Valuable both for its portrait of a child inventor and a vibrant community of color. Ages 5â10.

Starred review from August 1, 2012
Winston, a boy in Trinidad, wishes that he could play in a band and win free rotis, the delicious island specialty prepared by the Roti King and presented to the best performers at Carnival. In the weeks before Carnival, the people of the Caribbean island are busy sewing costumes, and bands are busy rehearsing with their gourds, bamboo sticks, bottles-and-spoons and drums. Winston hears the sounds that his mango pit makes when he chucks it into a junkyard. Inspired, he tries out different can and tins, listening carefully to their different notes. More experimentation follows, and soon, he is performing for his neighbors. Friends join him to form a band made up of "pots and pans, tins and cans in a rainbow of colors." The sounds are winningly irresistible, and Winston and his fellow musicians soon enjoy their "folded pancakes filled with chicken and secret herbs and spices." Greenwood's story is based on the childhood of Winston Simon, the 20th-century musician credited with the invention of the steel drum. The text is filled with a cacophony of musical words that are fun and challenging to read aloud. Lessac's gouache paintings pulsate with sun-drenched island colors and often resemble a folk-art quilt. A joy to read. Play calypso music and celebrate! (author's note, glossary and pronunciation guide, author's sources) (Picture book/biography. 3-8)

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October 1, 2012

PreS-Gr 2-Lessac has long been a lively interpreter of Caribbean culture. In her latest collaboration with her husband, they imagine the childhood of Winston "Spree" Simon, who is credited with developing the steel drum. Greenwood sets the story in the days preceding Carnival, when the bands are preparing for the parade and anticipating the prize-free rotis (spiced chicken wrapped in dough) from the Roti King. Winston desperately wants that reward, but what are his chances without a band, much less an instrument? Lessac's vibrant gouache scenes in her signature folk style radiate the energy of the music and the lushness of Trinidad. As the author introduces each group of musicians, he spells out their unique sounds-an invitation for listeners to repeat the refrains. So the Chac-chac (gourds with seeds) players produce a "shoush-shap/shukka-shac/shoush-shap/shukka-shac." Munching on a mango near the junkyard, Winston ponders his dilemma; a casual toss of the pit against metal objects produces the "pong, ping, pang" that leads to a solution. He discovers that the number of dents and bumps and the size of the metal container all affect the pitch. Friends gather to paint, rehearse, perform, and celebrate victory. The finale pulses with color and pattern. A bit of colloquial speech adds flavor, as do the humorous visuals, such as the matron in her pink plastic curlers. A glossary, two-page author's note, and list of sources round out this upbeat celebration of creativity.-Wendy Lukehart, Washington DC Public Library

Copyright 2012 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

December 15, 2012
Preschool-G Shoush-shap shukka-shac. . . boom bam boom bam tom ping tom pang. This title's thumping sounds and rhythms will have even young preschoolers joining in the drumming action in this true story of a young boy who finds music in the junkyard. Growing up in Trinidad, Winston loves the calypso music of Carnival and longs to be part of a band. He finds his own beat banging with sticks and stones on old tins, cans, pots, and pans, as he discovers that each metal container produces a different musical sound. With his friends, he forms a junkyard band that joins the Carnival parade. They beat and pound and thump their drums until they are crowned the best band in the Carnival. Lessac's dynamic gouache and collage artwork in tropical colors accompanies the vibrant text. A final note with a photo fills in the biography of Winston Spree Simon, who pioneered the development of the steel drum. Great for sharing in the classroom, kids will want to read this many times over.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)