Beating the Drum

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6-These two surveys are really quite good. Their scopes are broad and they cover a wide range of instruments from many cultures. Both have inviting and not overly busy formats that effectively mix full-color photographs of people making music, handsome art prints, line drawings that help explain the text, and impressive pictures of the instruments themselves. The writing is clear and direct, and the inclusion of simple craft projects encourages children to be thoughtful participants rather than merely passive readers. Beating the Drum defines and discusses percussion and outlines some of the different kinds of drums used around the world. Music from Strings includes not only violins, lutes, sitars and so on, but also the piano and the human voice. The information is fascinating and well organized. Dee Lillegard's series on musical instruments (Childrens) is for younger readers as is Alan Blackwood's Musical Instruments (Bookwright, 1987). Neil Ardley's Music (Knopf, 1989), which covers all the instruments in one volume, is more encyclopedic, cramped looking, and less fun to read.-Ann Stell, Central Islip Public Library, NY