LI'L DAN, THE DRUMMER BOY A Civil War Story

After a hard day of working cotton on the Hollis plantation, Li'l Dan, whose parents were sold when he was very young, sits and listens to Mr. Ned play the drum that came from Africa. Li'l Dan finds the drumming so wonderful that he makes a drum for himself and learns to imitate the sounds around him. When the plantation is liberated by a troop of African-American Union soldiers, Dan is too con-fused to do anything but follow them. He becomes their mascot and, in the climax of the story, uses his drum to frighten away Confederate cavalry by imitating the sound of cannon fire. Renowned African-American artist Romare Bearden uses this simple, poignant story as the lynchpin for a won-derful series of mixed-media paintings, completed in 1983. Fluid lines drenched with color invite the reader to discover the emotion within the book. Young readers will be well served by the accompanying CD in which Maya Angelou's signature voice provides the perfect measured narration of Bearden's story, allowing children the opportunity to fully immerse them-selves in his art. S.G. (c) AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine [Published: FEB/ MAR 05]