Li'l Dan, the Drummer Boy: A Civil War Story ANNOTATION
When a company of black Union soldiers tells L'il Dan that he is no longer a slave, he follows them, and uses his beloved drum to save them from attack.
FROM THE PUBLISHER
Li'l Dan, a slave on a Southern plantation, loves to play his drum. When a company of Union soldiers announce that the slaves have been set free, Dan has no place to go, so he follows the soldiers, who make him their mascot. But Confederate soldiers attack, and Dan discovers that he is the only one who can save his friends.
The only children's book ever written and illustrated by legendary American artist Romare Bearden, Li'l Dan, the Drummer Boy was just recently discovered. Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. has written a personal introduction to the book, describing his own memories of the artist while Bearden created this memorable tale.
On an accompanying CD, Dr. Maya Angelou, three-time Grammy Award winner for spoken word recordings, reads the text.
FROM THE CRITICS
The Washington Post
While not as densely layered as some of his celebrated collages, Bearden's watercolor and marker illustrations show his trademark inventiveness with color. His scenes are rhythmic, fluid and animated, whether portraying slave labor in the fields or the fierce gallop of mounted soldiers in combat. Deftly combining tender moments with episodes of danger and sudden violence, Bearden provides his young hero with an initial view of freedom that is as daunting as it is beautiful. And he has bequeathed young readers a memorable book that should never go out of print.
— Jabari Asim
Publishers Weekly
A boy's passion for drumming literally saves lives in this uplifting tale, completed in 1983 and published posthumously-the only children's book that Bearden (1911-1988) both wrote and illustrated. Li'l Dan, whose parents "were sold away when I was most young," loves to hear Mr. Ned play the drum, which the man's father brought from Africa. Mr. Ned teaches Dan to drum, "just the way he had learned from his father," and the boy sets out to make one of his own. Generous white space sets off intimate black line drawings with bold watercolor wash, as Mr. Ned compliments Dan on the drum he made and as Dan communes with the birds and leaves, imitating the sounds they make. In stark contrast, a full-page painting of Li'l Dan gazing over a vast land after the Union soldiers inform him he is free ("What do that mean?" asks the boy) simultaneously evokes a feeling of being overwhelmed and also of possibility. The artwork is more narrative here than in Bearden's illustrations for Herschel Johnson's A Visit to the Country; only a very few compositions incorporate collage elements. Here the artist favors simplicity, keeping readers closely involved in the interactions between Dan and Mr. Ned-and ultimately the soldiers who adopt him as their "mascot," and whose lives he saves with an act of ingenuity... and his drum. This story will appeal to history buffs, Bearden fans and those who believe that art can serve as inspiration and sustenance. A CD of Maya Angelou's reading (tucked into the back cover) is an added bonus. All ages. (Sept.) Copyright 2003 Reed Business Information.
Children's Literature - Marilyn Courtot
The slaves worked long and hard picking cotton on the Hollis plantation. Li'l Dan, who had no parents to care for him, looked to Mr. Ned when work was over. Mr. Ned had a drum that he played; a drum that had come from Africa. Li'l Dan made a drum of his own and spent his extra time learning how to copy the sounds of nature. In 1864 a strange thing happened. Soldiers in blue uniforms came and told the slaves that they were free, but what did freedom mean? Dan followed the soldiers and was adopted by one named Scipio who had a boy of about the same age. Li'l Dan became the mascot for the company and in the evenings he would play his drum for the soldiers. Dan became a hero when he used his drum to save the company from an attack by the "gray horsemen." His reward was to become an official drummer. The amazing comment attributed to General Sherman is one of the real messages in the bookﾽ"Dan, I want you to be a drummer in our Army's Drum Corps. And listen, Dan, you play your drum in your own way." The illustrations are deceptively simple-lookingﾽbroad strokes and splashes of color that have a childlike quality that fits the story. They also are filled with energy and pathos as well as the fury of battle and the caring relationship between Dan and his friends, Mr. Ned and Scipio. The book has a wonderful foreword by Henry Louis Gates Jr. who knew Romare Bearden and had seen the painted panels and heard the story long before it was ever published. The book also comes with a CD with Maya Angelou reading the story. It is a terrific package. 2003, Simon & Schuster, Ages 6 up.
School Library Journal
Gr 1-4-When black Union soldiers tell Li'l Dan that he is now free, the boy follows the men and eventually uses his homemade drum to save them from danger. A compelling story by a renowned African-American artist, told through eloquent words and striking mixed-media paintings. Maya Angelou narrates the CD. Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.
AudioFile
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. © AudioFile 2005, Portland, Maine
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