Drummer Boy

by Loren Long

Book Overview

In a wintry little town, a drummer boy appears on a child's doorstep. And when it is still and quiet, the drummer boy plays, boom pum pum boom pum, and warms the child's heart. But one day the drummer boy is accidentally knocked into the trash, sending him on a journey he never imagined--a journey on which he continues to play his drum, warming the hearts of others, from a rat to an owl to a snowman. And in a touching conclusion, his own heart...

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 039925174X
• ISBN13: 9780399251740
• Release Date: October 2008
• Publisher: Philomel Books
• Length: 40 Pages
• Weight: 1.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 11.6" x 10.3"
• Age Range: 3 to 5 years

Customer Reviews

Rich illustrations and an interesting take on a Christmas classic

Loren Long packs his story with adventure, thrill, and charm; all in a fairly small package. My three-year-old son enjoys the book and drums on his legs when the "boom, pum, pum" repeats. My 20 month old son has a hard time sitting for any book with paragraphs... what can you do? I think this is a very good book for kids 2 years and up.

Drummer Boy

I was first drawn to Loren Long's work at a shopping mall. His book "Toy Boat" was faced outward toward the window. The artwork was so moving that I had to go in and give it a look. When I perused through the pages of the beautiful book, I realized that this was the wonderful creator of the artwork for "Mr. Peabody's Apples." Drummer Boy is another addition to Mr. Long's list of vibrant and wonderful compilation of illustrations that make a book, only this time he was enabled to draft his own text. The adventures of the drummer boy are exciting and the fluid prose makes it an enjoying read. Loren Long has become the top illustrator on my list. His plays with shadow and light and softened main characters draw me in to each page. And my children also share a love for his work. His books are pulled from the shelf time and again to be read and for the pleasure of gazing upon each and every image.

Should be in everyone's Christmas collection

Loren Long is fast becoming one of my favorite illustrators and now demonstrates that he can storytell beautifully as well. This is a story that can be understood on many levels - as a simple story about the travels of a Christmas toy, or on a deeper level as an analogy of the love Christ brings to all of us during this time of year. The drummer boy is illustrated in Long's humbly charming fashion familiar in many of his characters (such as the clown in "The Little Engine That Could" and the boy in "Toy Boat"). My children, ages 5 and 3, ask for the book every night. I'm sure we'll be reading it long after Christmas is over.

Beautiful

Loren Long's Drummer Boy is MAGICAL! I ordered a copy for my mother who saw in the newspaper an illustration from the book back in the summer, and for my 2 1/2 yr. old daughter. They both LOVE it! Being an artist myself, I had seen some of Loren's illustrations but had no idea how beautifully they could illustrate the Christmas spirit. I would recommend the book for children and adults who love art and heart warming Christmas stories.