From Newbery Honor and Coretta Scott King - John Steptoe Award winner Alicia D. Williams comes a rhythmic picture book about an irrepressible little drummer determined to outwit the grumpy, noise-hating Lion.
Nani loves to drum. Ba-dum, ba-dum, ba-dum. Her music captures the sounds of life, rustles the forest leaves, rouses all the critters, and never fails to get the villagers up and dancing, dancing, dancing. But one day, they’re too scared to dance. Lion, king of the land, has outlawed noisemaking of any kind. The villagers beg her to stay quiet.
Nani’s heart pounds with fear, but her love for drumming beats more loudly. To keep playing her music and bringing joy to her village, Nani must stand up to the biggest bully around armed with only courage, quick thinking, and her drum.---from the publisher
40 pages 978-1665914222 Ages 4-7
Keywords: lions, music, drums, nature, animals, dance, danger, African folktale, heritage, courage, bullying, diverse books, 4 year old, 5 year old, 6 year old, 7 year old, Social Studies Curriculum
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Come and listen to Nani beat her drum. She loves to play so much. It's hard for her to stop playing. But, the villagers ask her to play softly or not to play at all because they are so afraid of what the lion can do - has done in the past.
When Nani plays the animals dance. Imagine that. They hear the music and they just have to move.
There's a beauty to the illustrations in this book. There's also a hint that this book actually brings with it the stories that Alicia D. Williams heard as a child or maybe wanted to hear as a child. There's the echo of a heritage that is so important but waits a bit beyond the now.
Alicia D. Williams is giving us the gift of what she loved as a child. She's bringing the richness of the music and the nature of Africa so we can feel it too.
What would you do when the lion roars?
Recommended by: Barb Langridge, abookandahug.com
