(For a wonderful treat click this book to visit Aminah's World at the Columbus Museum. You won't regret it. Aminah is a MacArthur Fellow. )
A father teaches his two young children about the history and rhythm of the people of the earth. MacArthur Fellowship winner Aminah Lynn Robinson’s art captures the power of this story.
Selected for Close the Book on Hate—Anti Defamation League & Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Campaign
Avery Brooks used this story as a spoken word piece at the African Burial Ground Dedication Ceremony in New York.
From High School Librarian: “Ms. Coleman’s books work with all age children. Even my seniors are moved by her picture books.”
From Elementary teacher: “I have used Ms. Coleman’s books from the first day I started teaching. With every new class they are the students favorites.”
WHAT REVIEWERS SAY ABOUT
TO BE A DRUM
“The drum is a mytho-poetic symbol that links people to their African root and the rhythm of the earth, or so Daddy Wes tell his children, Mat and Martha….the energetic montages bustle with multi-textured backgrounds and figures, employing cloth, cotton, old buttons, sisal, wool, clay, and more in theatrical settings — POINTER, Kirkus Reviews
“An unusual combination of history, exhortation, and tactile images, the text offers a dramatic read a-loud opportunity, given the right teller’s voice. An original.” —Booklist“While the book explicitly addresses African American readers, its strong emotional charge is universal.” — Publisher’s Weekly
“This book is nothing short of an affirmation of life, celebrating the creativity and perseverance of the human spirit. In deceptively simple text, which even the youngest child can appreciate, Coleman weaves a story of tradition which, down through time, continues to bind people together in a delightful kaleidoscope of change. Complementing the simple text are Aminah Robinson’s mixed-media illustrations, incorporating earth from Africa with material from her grandmother’s quilt. Stitches running through the pages neatly reinforce the theme of the story. A book not to be missed.
Selected for Close the Book on Hate—Anti Defamation League & Barnes & Noble Summer Reading Campaign
Avery Brooks used this story as a spoken word piece at the African Burial Ground Dedication Ceremony in New York.
From High School Librarian: “Ms. Coleman’s books work with all age children. Even my seniors are moved by her picture books.”
From Elementary teacher: “I have used Ms. Coleman’s books from the first day I started teaching. With every new class they are the students favorites.”