Rum Pum Pum

by David L. Harrison, Jane Yolen, Anjan Sarkar (Illustrator)

Overview

Journey through a jungle in this story about animal sounds, friendship, and music from two of the most beloved contemporary children's books author-poets.

"Rrrrh!" means "Let's be friends" in tiger talk, but the other animals don't understand him and run away! Maybe the gentle "rum-pum-pum" of a found drum can help him.

Tiger strikes the drum with his tail—and friends start to follow: a monkey who says "chee-chee-chee" which means "I will come too" in monkey talk, a rhino who says "ouggh" which means "I will come too" in rhino talk, a parrot that says "scree-awk," a chameleon, an elephant, and eventually a child—who is now reunited with the drum he lost. Because of the drum, the tiger is no longer lonely.

Information about tiger conservation is included in the back.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780823451784
Publisher:	Holiday House
Publication date:	07/26/2022
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	10.98(w) x 8.00(h) x 0.16(d)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

David L. Harrison's books have received state awards in Kansas, Missouri, Michigan, Arizona, South Dakota, Indiana, Texas, Kentucky, and Virginia. Awards also include IRA/CBC Children's Choices, NCTE Notable Poetry Books, and Bank Street College Best Books. The David Harrison Elementary School in Springfield, Missouri, is named in his honor. David lives in Springfield, Missouri.

Jane Yolen is an author of children's, fantasy, and science fiction, as well as a poet, teacher, and reviewer of writing. Her previous books have won the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, two Christopher Medals, the Golden Kite Award, and the Jewish Book Award, among many others. Rum Pum Pum is her first book with Holiday House.

Anjan Sarkar started his career in children's illustration after being inspired by drawing with his children. Since becoming a full-time illustrator, he's contributed not only to children's books, but also animation and advertising efforts. He works from a studio in his house in Sheffield, England, where he lives with his wife and two kids.

Editorial Reviews

"the illustrations shine."—School Library Journal

"The book’s earth-toned illustrations are stunning: Each page is packed with movement and atmosphere, and the characters’ faces are wonderfully expressive. The text is poetic, rhythmic, and, at times, humorous."—Kirkus Reviews

"As Tiger traverses the forest, other animals take a chance and accompany the big cat and his gentle 'friend,' adding their voices to Tiger’s ' Rrrrrrrrrrhhh' and Drum’s 'Rum pum pum.' Monkey, Rhino, Parrot, Chameleon, and Elephant make up the rest of the parade through the lush green-and-gold Indian forest. The phrase 'And they went along and went along and went along the road' recurs, giving the story the feel of a folktale."—Booklist

"The classic folkloric markers help this cumulative neo-tale along with lulling rhythm and inviting animal characters, and the sound effects of the gathering animals cry out, literally, for audience participation. . . . This has storytime written all over it, and it could also be a creative addition to a music class"—Bulletin of the Center for Children’s Books

From the Publisher

03/01/2021

Gr 1–3—Tiger does not have any friends. One day he finds a lost drum in the road. As he walks, he beats the drum with his tail. The percussive sound attracts friends: a monkey, a rhino, an elephant, and other animals that would typically be considered prey by a large jungle cat. Even though all the animals make different noises, they are all enchanted by the rum pum pum of the drum. Near the end of the day, they argue over who will get to carry the drum. A young boy breaks up their argument when he collects his lost drum and plays a tune, lulling the animals to sleep in a close-knit pile. Although the ending says this is a story about friendship, the animals' only bond is the drum and the music they have created. The cumulative nature of the story, with each animal's call being added to the parade, becomes overwhelming. If the text is cumbersome, the illustrations shine. Colored pencil and digital paint beautifully render the flora and fauna of the South Asian landscapes. The animals have expressive faces and human mannerisms, similar to characters from The Jungle Book. The title page and endpapers show the drummer boy surrounded by wooden figurines of the animals in the book, suggesting the whole story exists within his imagination. The boy is brown-skinned and presumably South Asian. Back matter clarifies the liberties that the authors have taken, by bringing together animals from different habitats of India; they ask readers to think about what they can do to preserve the endangered tiger population. VERDICT Despite Sarkar's lovely artwork, this is not an essential purchase.—Chance Lee Joyner, Haverhill P.L., MA

School Library Journal

2020-07-14
Deep in an Indian jungle, a lonely tiger longs for friends.

Although he claims to be friendly, Tiger’s sharp claws, huge teeth, and fearsome growl scare off his fellow creatures. All this changes when Tiger discovers a drum left beneath a sal tree. Tiger doesn’t know what the drum is—it’s a human invention, after all—but notices that when he taps it with his tail, it makes a delightful rum pum pum sound. Carrying his new, rhythmic “friend” with him, Tiger wanders through the forest. Before long, the drum’s rum pum pum attracts a monkey, a rhinoceros, a parrot, a chameleon, and an elephant, all of whom layer their own, distinctive sounds over the beat of Tiger’s drum. The group walks along happily for a time, but the company threatens to disintegrate when the animals fight over Tiger’s drum. Luckily, at just the right moment, a young boy steps into the fray and, with the help of some drumming, saves the day. The book’s earth-toned illustrations are stunning: Each page is packed with movement and atmosphere, and the characters’ faces are wonderfully expressive. The text is poetic, rhythmic, and, at times, humorous. While the story arc feels underdeveloped—it is not clear how the animals walking together created the deep friendship referenced on the book’s final page or how the Tiger’s drumming cured the animals’ fear of him—the language is a pleasure to read aloud. (This book was reviewed digitally with 8-by-21-inch double-page spreads viewed at 71% of actual size.)

Illustrations make this lyrical tale of the Indian jungle really shine. (authors’ note, websites) (Picture book. 2-5)

Kirkus Reviews