Li'l Dan, the Drummer Boy: A Civil War Story

by Romare Bearden, Romare Bearden (Illustrator), Henry Louis Gates Jr. (Foreword by), Maya Angelou (Read by)

Overview

A brave drummer boy marches along with Union soldiers in this powerful picture book.

Li’l Dan, an enslaved boy 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.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780689862373
Publisher:	Simon & Schuster Books For Young Readers
Publication date:	09/01/2003
Edition description:	Book and CD
Pages:	40
Product dimensions:	12.00(w) x 9.75(h) x 0.50(d)
Lexile:	AD640L (what's this?)
Age Range:	4 - 8 Years

About the Author

Romare Bearden (1911–1988) is internationally recognized as one of America's greatest artists and was a recipient of the President's National Medal of Arts. Bearden worked in many media, but he is best known for his collages. His work is included in museums and galleries throughout the United States, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Romare Bearden (1911–1988) is internationally recognized as one of America's greatest artists and was a recipient of the President's National Medal of Arts. Bearden worked in many media, but he is best known for his collages. His work is included in museums and galleries throughout the United States, including the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Philadelphia Museum of Art.

Henry Louis Gates, Jr., is the W.E.B. Du Bois Professor of the Humanities, chair of the Department of Afro-American Studies, and director of the W.E.B. Du Bois Institute for Afro-American research at Harvard University. Among his many books are Colored People: A Memoir and Wonders of the African World. He won an American Book Award in 1989 for The Signifying Monkey.

Read an Excerpt

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.

Editorial Reviews

Spike Lee and Tonya Lewis Lee This touching tale, colored by the sensitivity and warmth of Romare Bearden's art, tells of an intense moment in history through the eyes of a child at freedom's door. How fortunate that this story was not lost forever. We loved it!

From the Publisher

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

FEB/MAR 05 - AudioFile

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

The Washington Post

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.

Publishers Weekly

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.

School Library Journal

Recently discovered, this is Bearden's only work for children. Li'l Dan was a slave on the Hollis plantation, and every day after work, he came to hear Mr. Ned play his African drum. And each day Mr. Ned taught Dan how to play that drum. Eventually, Dan makes his own drum, perfects his skills, and goes off with the Union army. He becomes a hero when his drumming warns his troops of an impending attack from Confederate troops. Li'l Dan is congratulated by General William Tecumseh Sherman and is invited to join the army's drum corps. Mixed-media art enhances the text and serves as a fine introduction to Bearden's work. An introduction by Dr. Henry Louis Gates and a CD with Maya Angelou's reading of the story are included. An important find for the world of children's literature. (Picture book. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews