Storyline Drum

STORYLINE ONLINE PRESENTS:
To
To Be A Drum
By Evelyn Coleman, Illustrated by Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson
Watch online video of actor James Earl Jones
reading this story at http://www.storylineonline.net
Long before time, before hours and minutes and
seconds, on the continent of Africa, the rhythm of the
earth beat for the first people
And with the rhythm begins a story. It is what Daddy
Wes whispers to his two young listeners one morning,
the story of the drum, the pulse that has moved
through the African people and through time and
place. To Be A Drum tells of a history sustained
by the spirit of a people; Aminah Brenda Lynn
Robinsons mixed-media rag paintings are filled with
the wonder of that spirit. To Be A Drum sends an
invitation to all people to join the present and past, to
listento become a drum.
Related Activities

Retell this story in your own words.
Discuss and then tell or write about what you enjoyed most about this book.
Read To Be a Drum aloud to someone.
Daddy Wes instructs Martha and Mat to put their ear to the bare earth to listen for the
earths heartbeat. See if you can do the same and hear the heartbeat of the earth.
What is the significance of the earths heartbeat? How does it bind all people together?
Research the subject of slavery. What does it mean to be a slave? What was the life of a
slave like? Discuss what you learned about slavery with an adult.
The illustrations in To Be a Drum are very unique. How do they make you feel? Why do you
think Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson chose this type of artwork for this particular book?
Remember a story your father told you, any story. Retell the story or write it down.
Research jazz music. Find or ask an adult to play you some jazz. Pick a jazz artist, find out
as much as you can on that person and write a report.
Oral tradition and oral history are messages or testimony spread verbally from one
generation to another. What ways can these messages get passed on? What are some ways
discussed in the book?
storyline online To Be A Drum page 1
More Activities

What are some of the things the Reverend Martin Luther King, Jr. did to help make life better
for all peoples?
In November 2008 Barack Obama was elected President of the United States of America.
On January 20, 2009 he was inaugurated as President of the United States of America.
Why was this event historic?
Research the Harlem Renaissance and make a list of important people who contributed to
this movement in the areas of music, dance, literature, and art. Choose one of these people
to research further and write a report about their life and contributions. Make a poster about
this person to go with your report.
Research drums. Find out as much as you can from using resource books, interviewing
people, using the internet. Write a report about drums.
Have someone beat a drum or table top in a steady heartbeat rhythm as you read the book
aloud.
Research the use of drums throughout history. Make a chart of what you learned.
Read at least two other books by Evelyn Coleman. Describe how her books are the same and
different.
Internet Activities
After you have visited these websites, write a report or make a poster to share the information
you learned. Give an oral presentation of the facts you learned to your class or family.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_slavery_in_the_United_States
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Harlem_Renaissance
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_Luther_King,_Jr.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/United_States_Senate
www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Drum
www.drumstretchers.com/History.htm
About the Reader
James Earl Jones was born in Arkabutla, Mississippi, USA. For years
he refused to speak more than a few words at a time, even to his
family. In school he pretended to be mute, and communicated only in
writing. He began to express himself by writing poetry. Jones entered
the University of Michigan planning to study medicine, but found
himself drawn to the theater. In 1968 Jones earned widespread
acclaim for his performance in The Great White Hope playing a
character based on Jack Johnson, the first African-American
heavyweight champion. His performance in the play on Broadway
won him his first Tony Award; he received an Oscar nomination for
his performance in the 1970 film version. He has, also, appeared on
television regularly since the early 1960s. He is famous for his deep
and authoritative voice, used most famously for impressive roles like
Darth Vader in the Star Wars Trilogy and Mufasa in The Lion King.
Forty years after his breakthrough performance in The Great White
Hope, James Earl Jones remains active on both stage and screen.
About the Author

Evelyn Coleman is a childrens book and
thriller author living in Atlanta, Georgia with
her husband. She has two adult daughters
and a granddaughter named Taylor, who have
all listened to the earths heartbeat and now
beat out their own rhythms. She is originally
from Burlington, North Carolina.
Some Other Books by Evelyn Coleman:
Circle of Fire
White Socks Only
Mystery of the Dark Tower
The Foot Warmer and the Crow
The Glass Bottle Tree
Shadows on Society Hill: An Addy Mystery
(American Girl Mysteries)
About the Illustrator

Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson is an
accomplished artist who has exhibited her
work widely in her native Ohio and other
parts of the United States. Her works are
considered to be folk art. Robinsons
paintings often burst into the third
dimension with the addition of objects such
as buttons, beads, yarn, seashells, and
twigs; some of these collages have reached
twenty feet or more in length. In addition to
mixed-media pieces, Robinson has created
sculptures, quilts, puppets, music boxes,
and other forms of art, and for many
years she taught children how to express
themselves creatively through the Columbus,
Ohio Parks and Recreation Department.
In 2004 she was awarded the prestigious
MacArthur Fellowship.
Other books you might enjoy if you liked To Be a Drum:

Great African American Childrens Books by Donna Rand and Toni Trent Parker
Light the Candle! Bang the Drum: A Book of Holidays from Around the World by Ann Morris
and Peter Linenthal
The Lions Drum-a retelling of an African Folk Tale by Steven
Gregory and Claudia Obata
Drum, Chavi, Drum! by Mayra L. Dole and Tonel
Hes Got the Whole World in His Hands by Kadir Nelson
A is for Africa by Ifeoma Onyefulu
Drumbeat in Our Feet by Patricia A. Keeler
The Leopards Drum by Jessica Souham
I See the Rhythm by Toyomi Igus
To Be a Drum published by Albert Whitman, 1998

Content developed by JAN POWELL, BookPALS National Program Director, Screen Actors Guild Foundation
Storyline Online is brought to you by the Screen Actors Guild Foundation.
Learn more about the Storyline Online program at http://www.storylineonline.net

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STORYLINE ONLINE PRESENTS:

Retell this story in your own words.

Read To Be a Drum aloud to someone.

About the Reader

storyline online To Be A Drum page 2

About the Author

About the Illustrator

Other books you might enjoy if you liked To Be a Drum:

To Be a Drum published by Albert Whitman, 1998

storyline online To Be A Drum page 3

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