Pokko and the Drum

by Matthew Forsythe

“The biggest mistake Pokko’s parents ever made was giving her a drum.”... read more

“The biggest mistake Pokko’s parents ever made was giving her a drum.” The noise Pokko, a frog, makes with her drum is too much for Pokko’s parents, who send her outside. There, tapping on her drum, she’s quickly joined by a raccoon with a banjo, a rabbit with a trumpet, and a wolf, who just likes marching along behind. When the wolf eats the rabbit, Pokko is having none of it: “No more eating band members or you’re out of the band.” The wolf’s apology is genuine, and the band plays on; a raucous, ever-growing gathering as other animals join them marching through the woods. Even Pokko’s parents get swept up—literally—in the exuberance of it all. The watercolor, gouache, and colored pencil illustrations are rife with possibilities for inference, while their appearance—a cozy, warm palette and a bit of a stylistic edge—are as distinct as the rest of this hilarious, masterfully paced story. Honor Book, 2020 Charlotte Zolotow Award (Ages 4–8)

© Cooperative Children's Book Center, Univ. of Wisconsin - Madison, 2020

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