Drummer Boy

Horn Book

This is a sumptuous production-larger than the usual picture book, with richly colored, detailed double-page spreads-and beautifully written . . .

School Library Journal

PreS-Gr 3

This story, a riff on "The Little Drummer Boy," tugs at the heartstrings and offers a few exciting moments, despite some improbable coincidences. However, the real star here is Long's luminous acrylic art, which gives a real sense of scale and place. On a cold winter's day, a little toy drummer boy in a snappy red uniform mysteriously appears on a child's doorstep. The boy loves the drummer and spends a lot of time listening to him play, but a mishap sends the little drummer on a wild adventure all around town, where he plays his drum and brings peace to every listener he comes across. Finally, the toy ends up in a cemetery, where the boy finds it near his grandfather's grave. He takes the drummer home and, filled with the Christmas spirit, places him at the feet of the baby in the Nativity scene on the mantel. A handsome, if not essential, purchase.-Mara Alpert, Los Angeles Public Library

Kirkus Reviews

"The Steadfast Tin Soldier" meets "The Little Drummer Boy" in this original, sentimental tale that carries a wistful tone unusual in Christmas stories. A few weeks before Christmas, an unnamed boy receives a mysterious package containing a small mechanical toy soldier with a drum, which quickly becomes his favorite toy. The drummer boy accidentally falls into the trash, leading to a snowy odyssey through the city and surrounding countryside. He is carried off to other locations by an owl, a dog and a raccoon, ending up in a snow-covered cemetery. On Christmas morning the drummer boy is found by his owner when the boy visits his grandfather's grave, and the toy soldier is taken home and placed in the family's Christmas creche, where he plays his best song for the Christ Child. Though the plot is a touch maudlin, Long's striking art and an extremely large trim size coalesce into a successful whole, with dramatic double-page spreads showing the transporting animals and a remarkable snowman looming large against the tiny size of the small but steadfast drummer boy. (Picture book. 4-7)