Strum and Drum

September 1, 2022

K-Gr 2-Strum strums his guitar and Drum drums her drum on their journey to the Great Star in the north. Marching along a path illuminated by flickering lights, they leap through a silver waterfall, feast on peppermints and a pickle, and attract followers, including a dancer, an angel, and a polar bear. A soldier with a toothy grin warns of a beast with green eyes, a creature whose sudden appearance curtails their trip. Colorful drawings that look like paper cutouts give way to richly textured black-and-white sketches, including one of a dreaded beast that turns out to be a cat! A young boy scolds his pet before gently placing the two ornaments, Strum and Drum, higher up on the Christmas tree. This plot twist will have readers eagerly flipping back pages to figure out what just happened: Who are these characters? Why is the waterfall silver? What is the source of flickering lights? Most questions are answered, but a small, muted illustration showcasing the entire Christmas tree misses an opportunity to fully wrap up. The book includes some traditional ornaments like a pickle that may be less familiar to children; there is no endnote explaining the symbolism. VERDICT This clever Christmas tale uses two distinct drawing styles to shift perspective. The surprising ending will have readers returning for a second, or even third, look.-Jenny Andrus

Copyright 2022 School Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

September 12, 2022
What do Christmas tree ornaments get up to when no one’s looking? In mixed-media artwork resembling cut-paper collage, Awan imagines just that, portraying a dreamy, candy-colored world in which adventure and danger lurk. One silent night, Strum and Drum wake from a deep sleep and, on guitar and drum, begin jamming as they travel “all the way to the Great Star in the north!” Their walk leads them past flickering lanterns, a silver waterfall that doesn’t get them wet, and glass bubbles that don’t pop. Not even a dire warning from a menacing Nutcracker can veer them off the jolly course as their band, portrayed with various skin tones, begins to grow. But when the warned-of beast makes a quick strike, Strum and Drum are flung away from the woods and into a new world—depicted in naturalistic black-and-white art—that will have readers quickly flipping back to the book’s beginning to launch the journey with fresh eyes. Brief text holds readers
in suspense until the book delivers its revelatory twist in this festive nested story reminiscent of Pokko and the Drum. Ages 3–7.

November 1, 2022
Guitarist Strum and drummer Drum "wanted to march all the way to the Great Star in the north!" Off they go, in a mysterious forest with lanterns that flicker off and on, a waterless waterfall, and glass bubbles that don't pop. Awan's unique stylized illustrations are effectively varied, heightening the little drama. A soldier prince warns them about a "beast with green eyes," but the two bravely march on. And then the beast strikes: "Strum and Drum went tumbling through the air...away from all they had known." The illustrations, now in black and white and rendered realistically, offer a different, holiday-centered perspective on the situation. And by the end, Strum and Drum reach the Great Star, where they make music from on high. Kitty Flynn

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)

July 1, 2022
Guitarist Strum and drummer Drum "wanted to march all the way to the Great Star in the north!" Off they go, in a mysterious forest with lanterns that flicker off and on, a waterless waterfall, and glass bubbles that don't pop. Awan's unique stylized illustrations are effectively varied, heightening the little drama. A soldier prince warns them about a "beast with green eyes," but the two bravely march on. And then the beast strikes: "Strum and Drum went tumbling through the air...away from all they had known." The illustrations, now in black and white and rendered realistically, offer a different, holiday-centered perspective on the situation. And by the end, Strum and Drum reach the Great Star, where they make music from on high.

(Copyright 2022 by The Horn Book, Incorporated, Boston. All rights reserved.)