Kim L. SiegelsonReseñas

"Toby is now old enough to join his family at the ring-shout in this story that draws on the African-American tradition of circle dances accompanied by call-and-response singing. Each family member brings something to play at the annual harvest celebration that “speaks from his own heart straight to God’s ears.” Sister Pearl brings a dry gourd because the sound of the seeds reminds her of cornstalks rattling in the wind and she is “happy for the wind on hot days.” Toby, with the wise help of his grandfather, learns that just clapping his hands allows him to speak with everything he has, and what he has most is family. Cohen’s boldly colored, flat illustrations swirl across the pages in circular patterns that provide just the right touch for this warm family story of faith and upholding tradition. An author’s note gives a brief history. (Picture book. 4 –7)" www.kirkusreviews.com

This story was unlike many slavery stories. This story encompassed not just the hardship of being brought to the new world, but also the pain of leaving behind their homeland's culture. This story kept alive the African traditions that ran deep in the character's souls. It painted the picture that their ancestry was stronger than the mind numbing new world's tasks. This story was emotional to say the least, that nationalism was stronger than family at one point that heroism had to rise to the occasion to save their traditions. This story shows the longing for freedom unites even the most oppressed. That even when their minds grew faint on their ancencestry, they were not alone. They came together to hold their traditions throughout generations to come. This story is an empowering one that gets the point across that one must become stronger than their burdon or that burdon will tear away at their soul. Without determination and strength one's will to remember who they are will deteriorate.

Based on an old Gullah legend, 'In The Time of Drums' is an inspirational tale which takes place during the time of slavery and African slave ships completing the middle passage. The story revolves around grandmother Twi and her young grandson Mentu. Mentu is too young to work in the fields so Twi takes this opportunity to teach him how to play the goatskin drums and chant the songs she grew up with in Africa. Mentu was born on Gullah, so she is instilling her history into him which he will then pass on to his children and so on for generations to come. I chose to make the target audience grades 3-6 because the abstract concept of people choosing suicide over slavery may be difficult for younger children to grasp.½

In the Time of the Drums is a beautiful picture book that tells the story of a young boy learning the African drums of his ancestors. Mentu learns the words and ways of Africa through his grandmother Twi who calls Africa her home. Mentu's grandmother reminds him to never forget the ways of Africa, and that it takes strength to never forget. Twi prepares Mentu to work in the fields during slavery by instilling strength and wisdom. The illustrations of the book are beautiful and reminiscent of actual oil paintings. In the Time of the Drums is a story of survival, a story of strength, and a story of strong ancestral traditions that brought a people together and led a people home.

Mentu is being taught by Twi the ways of their culture in Africa. She teaches him stories, songs, and secrets. This book did a great job at portraying the horrors of slavery while also keeping it mild enough for a child to still be able to read and understand. The illustrations were amazing. I loved the visible brush strokes of the the paint used to color many of the illustrations. For any child who is unfamiliar with the history of slavery, this book would be a perfect educational experience to introduce to them a portrait of the history behind it. This book shows the importance of how culture is linked to identity. Throughout the story, Mentu is taught not to let the harsh inequalities of slavery erase his culture. Eventually he takes on the role of Twi after he grows older. When overcoming overwhelming odds, it is essential to come together, share, and never forget where you came from!½

This is a very well written book. However, in a classroom with young children, the teacher would have to play a very active role in keeping the classes' attention by using gestures to emphasize moments in the story. An example of this would be by doing the motion of the drums with his/her hands.

The medium of the artwork is a combination of paint and pencil. The artwork helps conveys what the written text represents. The artwork is very expressive in the emotions of the characters. The vivid scenery will help grab the attention of the young readers. The illustration when Twi is regaining her youth as she runs to the water and urges the Ibo people to join her expresses her connection to her culture and joy she feels.

Based on a legend passed down through generations, this book is about a young boy who learns songs and tales about his ancestral homeland from his grandmother. Grandmother Twi was born in Africa and brought as a slave to an island to work on the plantations. As the legend goes, she freed an entire slave ship and returns them to their homeland by walking on the sea floor. The story celebrates the importance of keeping old traditions alive and passing them on to the next generation. The bright illustrations have a folksy and almost magical feel.

This poetically-written book tells a tale of resiliency and the importance of holding on to one's roots. Unlike some other picture books about this topic that I've read, 'In the Time of Drums' manages to convey the realities slavery while still remaining an appropriate book for young readers. Moreover, this beautiful story is one not of the ways in which black people were broken by this appalling practice but instead of the ways in which African traditions were preserved for generations after those people who became the first slaves were ripped from their homelands.

"In the Time of the Drums", it is about a little boy named Mentu and his Grandmother Twi living on a plantation as slaves. Twi has been in Mentu's life since the day he was born and has taken care of him ever since. She loved him "like her own soul" and taught him how to be independent for when he had to be "strong-strong" on his own one day. Twi noticed how the other slaves were forgetting their African roots and made sure to sing old songs and tell old stories from her homeland to help inform Mentu of his roots and to not let this culture be forgotten anymore than it already has. One day, a slave ship shows up to the island where they live, making everyone initially think it was only goods being delivered. The slaves on the ship thought they were going back to Africa, but they had a rude awakening when they realized they were only being transported to do slave work. When they come to this conclusion, the slaves come together on the boat and sing a song that Mentu recognizes as one of Twi's songs that she would sing to him. Twi then tells Mentu that he now has to be "strong-strong" while she goes away with her "brothers and sisters" and take them "home." They all walk hand-in-hand into the water together, while Mentu looks on from afar. The story then fast forwards to when Mentu is an adult with children of his own. He sings the songs and tells the stories to his children like Twi did for him and the tradition goes on with each generation afterwards. This story is a very informative and great read for a child that has already been introduced to the history of slavery. It shows the special and happy bond between two family members during a very sad and emotional time in history. Even though there was darkness, they found a light in each other and in their own culture.
While the story is very inspirational, the illustrations help portray that as well. This Coretta Scott King Awarded book showcases amazing line work, bright colors, and contrast. Each stroke in the art work is seen and it shows how many layers of lines went into the drawing. It looks as if the illustrations started off as a layer of black with bright colors drawn on top, making every detail pop and the contrast look beautiful. Also, the softness and color choice of the sunsets in the background of every page really makes the characters come to life and delivers the bond between family through the reality of slavery.

The book was not what I was expecting at all when I read the title. I assumed I was going to read about how music changed the characters lives in a positive way through love, and kindness. So I was somewhat surprised and speechless when it talked about slavery. So, of course it wasn't a cheery book, but it does teach kids about our history. But the sound of the drums gets the slaves through tough times and a young boy is taught about his grandmother and other's trials of slavery. Then he also passes it on.Though I find the illustration great with swirling, lifelike colors, its not lively and bright enough to catch children' attention.

I had mixed emotions about this book and thought it was very interesting but would be a little challenging for young readers to fully understand. The plot and the characters made the story a little more complex and hidden meaning behind ideas in the book were a bit confusing at times. The story is an oral tale that focused on a grandmother and her grandson whose ancestors and family came to America as slaves. She tells her grandson about the journey of their people and how the music of drums got her through the hard times. However in the end she leaves him with her wisdom and he must pass on the tale to his children. The story had a great message and was very inspirational, however the overall plot was hard to follow and the significance of characters made the story unclear. The main message I believe is that, in tough times of conflict and suppression, there will be things to get you through whether it be music, a story or close family.

Genre: Folklore
This story has been passed down by word of mouth for a long time, but has been translated by Kim who had a grandmother that told her the story as a child. It is about a boy named Mentu who lives on an island where African slaves work the fields. His grandmother Twi possess a magic that Mentu is learning slowly about. He is also learning what it means to truly be strong and to have strength in order to remember his culture and heritage.

I really enjoyed this book! I think that this is a great interpretation of what slaves had to go through when they were taken away. They were jerked out of their homelands, forced into a new life, and were not always able to remember what exactly "home" was. In this book, Mentu was an island-born boy who was raised by his grandmother Twi. Everyone on the island was intimidated by Twi and she was well known and respected. Although many people had lost their "roots", Twi remained strong and passed them down to Mentu. He learned about his heritage, how to be strong, to play the drums, and even to understand the language of the drums. One day, a ship docked on the island and the Ibo people on board were being brought on land to be sold. They heard Mentu's drum playing and were stomping on the floor back to respond. The Ibo people learned they were not home but somewhere new and they refused to leave the ship. Twi heard this and she knew it was her time to help, even if this meant leaving Mentu behind. She told her grandson that he would know when it was his time to be strong and with that, left. She took the Ibo people off of the ship and into the water, they were being "taken home." Mentu never forgot where he came from and what Twi taught him along with what she represented. Mentu grew up, continued to be strong, and taught his children and others what Twi taught him. This book was awesome and one I really enjoyed reading! I think that the illustrations to this book are one of most important aspects. The pictures really connected the story to an emotional tie.

A little boy named Mentu hears his grandmother, Twi, talk about what it was like to live in Africa. Mentu talks about being strong and Twi tells him that his day will come when he will really be strong. One day, a ship comes to town and the people on the ship play the drums alerting the people of the town of their arrival. They are slaves and they want to go back to their home. The ship will not bring them back to Africa and they refuse to go onto the island. Twi says that she must leave Mentu so she can return to Africa, but before she goes, she tells him to never forget where he is from. The illustrations in this book were beautiful and they helped to explain what was going on in the story. I see why this book was honored with the Coretta Scott King Award for Illustration because the illustrations helped add to the story.½

Dancing the Ring Shout was an englightening book that opened my eyes to a different type of dance. The main message of this book was showing how different cultures celebrate and interpret dance in their own ways, with their own traditions. I liked this book because of the illustrations and how it pushes readers. The illustrations in this book were fascinating because the colors that represented their culture were vibrant. For example, the family and neighborhoods clothes were all 'happy' colors (red, green, blue). The pictures made this book more intriguing. On the other hand. this book pushes readers to think about other cultures traditions. It also teaches children about a different form of dance that they might have never heard. For example, when they start to do their Ring Shout they gather in a circle, chant, and pray.

I thought that this book was very informative, but at a level that even young students can understand. The book held a true deep meaning to how the slaves had to suffer and how their patience was tested. It really made me emotional when Twi walked into the water with the Ibo tribe. Overall I really liked this book.

This book also had beautiful artwork and colors. The reason I did not pick this book is because I felt that if I were to read just the pictures I would not have been able to tell the story line and neither would have the students. the reason is because the story is about magic and something dramatic happened at the end of the story and I don't think that I would understand the story without the words. I would at least need some background information on the story to be able to understand what the pictures are saying. I would read this to atleast fourth or fifth graders because it deals with the content of slavery which may be difficult for little kids to understand.

Mentu is an African American who born in United States. He does not know much about his people and Twi, his grandmother, teaches him litter everyday. The most important thing, Twi teaches him how to play a drum, his people tradition, custom and communication. He has no desire for Africa, but Twi does. In fact, she always long to to back there. One day through the sound of a drum Mentu knows that a ship is coming. She and Twi with other island people come to see the ship. Twi recognized her people through the drumming sound they call for help. Twi leave Mentu with some instruction and call her people to go home with her by the depth of the ocean. Mentu grow up with his people spirit inside and he pass it on to his children by the drum playing as Twi taught him.

Summary: In the Time of the Drums is the story of a young boy, Mentu, who was raised by his grandmother, Twi. They lived on an island where slaves were brought to work in the plantations. Many slaves would forget where they came from as time went on from the backbreaking work and being in the blistering hot sun all day. But not Twi, she kept her memories of her home in Africa. Twi taught her secrets to Mentu so he could pass the heritage down to his children. She would sing the African songs to Mentu from the time he was born, until he could sing the songs back to her. She told him stories and taught him the ancient rhythms on the goatskin drums. Soon Mentu could play the drums alongside Twi. One day a slave ship comes to shore. Twi tells Mentu it is time to be strong as she leads many of the captives to freedom beneath the sea. Mentu grows up and sings the songs, plays the drums, and tells the stories to his children and their children and on down the line. Mentu keeps the memories of Africa alive.

Personal reaction: I liked the story of a grandmother handing her heritage down so it could be preserved and handed down to future generations. Twi teaches Mentu the songs to sing when he gets older and has to go to work in the fields, he can sing the songs to remember and forget where he came from, unlike many of the slaves that forget after many years of hard backbreaking work in the blistering hot sun. The author get her inspiration from stories she heard from her grandmother. The stories derived from Africna-American communities near the Sea Islands of Georgia and South Carolina. Some say you can still hear the chains rattle.

Classroom extension: 1. I would use this book in a study of slavery in the South. 2. I would use this book in a study of family traditions. The students could share some of their family traditions.

Mentu is a young boy that was born on a plantation. Twi is like a mother to him who was a captured slave from Africa. Twi tells him all of her stories of her homeland so he can pass them on when he gets older. In the end Twi leads more captives beneath the sea to freedom.

This is a great book to open a lesson on slavery. It has a great story and amazing pictures!½

This tale is about a young boy named Mentu and Twi, the woman who has raised him from birth. She has taught him many secrets about the homeland, and she makes him promise to remember and pass on all that he has learned. As a ship brings more captured slaves to shore, Twi leads the captives to freedom in the water.

Amazing illustrations.

This is a wonderfully written novel that is part history (slave), part folklore (African), and told in a way that is not too harsh for middle school readers. Yet, I think that it will help them to ask questions regarding the history of slavery and also give them a reference to the strength that slave families gave each other and carried through many generations.

Bea is a young girl born as a twin but the only one to survive. She has inherited the powers of her grandmother and her mother. The custom had been not to tell the holder of the powers about the gift until they were able to handle it. However, in Bea’s case she starts to feel her independence at the age of 13 and starts taking risks she shouldn’t take.

I will recommend this book to all those students who like historical fiction.