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The Drum
In this timeless story from India, a poor boy's dream of having a drum takes him on an unlikely adventure down an untraveled path. He meets several people who guide him along the way. In time, by taking responsibility and sharing generously with those he meets, he learns to make his own magic in this world.
- GenresPicture BooksIndia
32 pages, Kindle Edition
First published April 25, 2006
5 people are currently reading
80 people want to read
About the author
Rob Cleveland
13books1followerROB CLEVELAND is storyteller-in-residence at the Fernbank Museum of Natural History in Atlanta, Georgia. He is also an actor and comedian who can be seen in the films Drumline and That Darn Cat. He lives in Atlanta with his wife and twins.
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 7, 2022
The Drum: A Folktale from India by Rob Cleveland, Illustrator Tom Wrenn- The book narrates an Indian Folktale about a poor boy and his mother. They help each other. One day, when his mother is to go to the market to sell their grain, she asks him what he would like her to bring him. He knows she will not get enough money to buy a drum still he informs his wish to her. The mother purchases daily necessity item from the market with the money. She does not have money to buy a drum. She walks back home sad. She almost trips over a little old man in the road. The old man enquires why she is crying and she explains her predicament. Old man offers her a stick and says it may contain magic. The woman takes the stick home to the boy. He thanked her and went out to play with the stick. The boy finds an old woman on the road, trying to build a fire with wet wood. He offers his stick to the old woman to build the fire. She offers him bread in return. The young boy continues on down the road, only to find the potter's wife and crying baby. The baby was hungry. The boy gave it to the woman and baby. As a token of thanks, the woman gave the boy a pot. On the road again, the boy encounters a woman and man yelling. It seems the woman has just broken the pot that the man used to wash clothes in. The boy gave the man his pot and received a coat in return. The boy continued walking and found a man in only underwear and socks, soaking wet by the river. A robber stole his clothes and river and pushed him in the river. The boy offered the man his coat to which the man gave him the horse. He arrived next at a wedding party, but there was no music playing and the people seemed unhappy. The boy asked the closest man what the problem was and he replied that the groom must ride a horse down the aisle, but the man supplying the horse had not arrived as yet. Without a horse, the marriage procession would be doomed. The boy offered the horse to them. The groom spoke to his father and the musicians and then offered the boy a drum. The young boy ran all the way home, so share the news with his mother. Message – it is a good habit to helping others who are in need. Coloured illustrations help the reader in relating to the story. I have read the Hindi language translation of this book.
June 23, 2017
This story is about a poor boy and his mother. He understands they don't have much, but each other, so accepts his torn and ratty clothes. One day, when his mother is to go to the market to sell their grain, she asks him what he would like her to bring him. He knows she can't buy it, but he tells her he would like a drum. The mother was sad since she too knew she couldn't buy the drum. She heads off down the road to the market, crying to herself. She almost trips over a little old man in the road. He asks her why she's crying and she explains her predicament. He offers her a stick and says it may contain magic. The woman takes the stick home to the boy. He thanked her and went out to play with the stick. The boy finds an old woman on the road, trying to build a fire with wet wood. He offers his stick to the old woman to build the fire. She offers him bread in return. The young boy continues on down the road, only to find the potter's wife and crying baby. The baby was hungry. The boy gave it to the woman and baby. As a token of thanks, the woman gave the boy a pot. On the road again, the boy encounters a woman and man yelling. It seems the woman has just broken the pot that the man used to wash clothes in. The boy gave the man his pot and received a coat in return. The boy continued walking and found a man in only underwear and socks, soaking wet by the river. A robber stole his clothes and river and pushed him in the river. The boy offered the man his coat to which the man gave him the horse. He arrived next at a wedding party, but there was no music playing and the people seemed unhappy. The boy asked the closest man what the problem was and he replied that the groom must ride a horse down the aisle, but the man supplying the horse hadn't arrived yet. Without a horse, the marriage would be doomed. The boy knew he could offer the horse, so he did. The groom spoke to his father and the musicians and then offered the boy a drum. The young boy ran all the way home, he couldn't wait to show his mother that the little man was right, the stick did have some magic in it.
A very fun story with a nice theme, helping others is a good thing. I liked how willing the boy was to give his items away, even though they had little of their own.
A very fun story with a nice theme, helping others is a good thing. I liked how willing the boy was to give his items away, even though they had little of their own.
November 23, 2022
This is a darling rags-to-riches tale of a little poor boy who dreams and wishes for a drum from the market, but his mother is unable to purchase it for her boy because they are so poor. She meets a little man on her way to market who gives her a magic stick for her boy. He accepts the magic stick with gratitude. He uses the magic stick and his items of thanks to help many people throughout his travels, always offering good deeds and items without asking for anything in return. These exchanges eventually lead to him being blessed with the drum of his dreams that he ultimately desired in the beginning of the story. There are a lot of pictures that show culturally significant situations like washing clothes by the river, and the wedding where the horse is needed or there will be bad luck. I liked this tale of perseverance and good will.
April 5, 2018
This folktale is about a young boy with a single mom. It may be seen as a stereotype because it is a one parent family that cannot afford a drum. This story teaches acts of kindness, patience and hardships, and does a great job getting the message across. I like the different people the boy comes across and helps out. This book is a good book for exploring culture diversity and family types. The language is simple but may cause a child to loose interest because nothing really stands out. This may be a good book for adults to read to children until they know how to understand main ideas and morals of stories.
December 1, 2020
I really enjoyed reading this story. This folklore teaches readers the importance of good deeds and selflessness. Aside from the moral it teaches, I thought the illustrations were very warm and colorful. I would recommend this book to someone who may have to deal with someone who is unappreciative or demanding.
June 10, 2020
Genre: Folktale
Grade Level: Primary (2-3)
A little kindness goes a long way! The little boy in the story wanted a drum but his mom couldn't afford it. Because of his generosity towards others, he is surprised in the end! We must teach children to always be grateful no matter what they get.
Grade Level: Primary (2-3)
A little kindness goes a long way! The little boy in the story wanted a drum but his mom couldn't afford it. Because of his generosity towards others, he is surprised in the end! We must teach children to always be grateful no matter what they get.
April 24, 2018
Good lesson on the importance of sharing and being helpful and caring.
October 5, 2018
Good story. The illustrations freak me out a little.
March 1, 2014
This book was not only touching but it ends with a great moral. Most hardship comes with the upmost understanding and patience. The little boy in this book knew of his family circumstances and knew the things he want may seem impossible to have. The little boy wanted a drum, simple. He knew his mother wasn’t able to afford it and he’s was fine with it. The overall moral of the story is not about understanding or living with what you have, the lesson of the whole story is that with compassion and the act of kindness would bring something more rewarding than a drum or a magic stick. What makes this folktale a little weary to me is the title itself. The title has the country “India” in it, but the illustration does not resemble the culture. The dialogue between the mother and her son is quite formal; something you don’t really hear teenagers or even younger ones talk to their parents in such a way. There’s a lot of respect and formality that really grasp the characteristics of Indian culture.
Author: Rob Cleveland
Title: The Drum: A Folktale from India
Publisher: August House
Year of Publication: 2006
Traditional Lit Genre: Fable; Traditional Literature
Recent Award: None
ISBN: 978-0874838022
Age: 4-10 years
Author: Rob Cleveland
Title: The Drum: A Folktale from India
Publisher: August House
Year of Publication: 2006
Traditional Lit Genre: Fable; Traditional Literature
Recent Award: None
ISBN: 978-0874838022
Age: 4-10 years
November 30, 2013
Drum is about a little boy who has always wanted a drum. One day his poor mother is going to the market and asks what the little boy would want. He asks his mother for a drum, but she knows that she cannot afford it. On the way to the market an old man stopped the woman and gave her a stick and told her that it could be magic. The mother gave the sick to the son and told him it could possibly be magic. Then boy then goes on a journey giving different items to people and trading for new things each time. Every time he helps a new person he makes the happy very happy and fixes their problems. At the end of his journey he finds a man in need of a horse. He gives the man the horse and for the horse he trades him a drum. The boy finally gets his drum and makes everyone in his journey very happy.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 12, 2015
I absolutely loved this book and enjoyed reading it! I would use it to talk to children about positivity, patience, friendship, sharing and trying to make the best of bad situations. With each turn of events, we would discuss how each character received their gifts, what happened in return, and why/how it happened. At the end, I would ask each child what they heard, saw and learned from the story and how it relates to their friends. I would them have them draw a picture that represented the story. I would also discuss how our attitudes and emotions can affect any situation, and pair different attitudes to different outcomes of things that happen in the classroom each day, such as how a child acted when they were told to put toys away and how they could've acted.
October 3, 2016
This folktale picture book is set in India about a poor boy whose dream is to have drums. His dream takes him on an adventure he never thought would happen and meets many people who lead him through his journey.
This book was almost set up as a graphic novel with the pictures but the words are not in bubbles they are below the pictures in the white space. The pictures and text go well with each other where the reader could probably examine the images and understand what the story is about. I would highly recommend this book for children and even adults because it teaches us a lesson to never give up on our dreams, no matter what.
This book was almost set up as a graphic novel with the pictures but the words are not in bubbles they are below the pictures in the white space. The pictures and text go well with each other where the reader could probably examine the images and understand what the story is about. I would highly recommend this book for children and even adults because it teaches us a lesson to never give up on our dreams, no matter what.
August 24, 2010
This is a story about a poor boy who dreams of having a drum some day. He goes on a journey and does good things for others which eventually results in him receiving a drum.
June 29, 2015
Will be added to the Future Folarin Progeny library.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
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