Maureen Brett Hooper
Autor(a) de The Violin Man
Obras por Maureen Brett Hooper
Etiquetado
Conhecimento Comum
- Sexo
- female
Membros
Críticas
the violin man por maureen brett hooper
This was a fascinating read in some regards. I wish it could have been longer and everyone's characters explored more. The descriptions of the town and monastery were great, the mystery was intriguing, and I wanted more of that. The book was structured well, and fits middle-grade conventions neatly in a way that's not annoying.
With his father far away in the big city, working in a factory, young Peter finds that he must keep his promise, and take his father's place as the duba, or drum-player in the colindat, a troupe of male carolers and musicians that, in Romanian tradition, visit all the houses in the village on Christmas Eve night. Worried that he will fail in his duties - that he is too small, or too young - Peter nevertheless sets out to do the best he can, finding that he is a natural at playing the Christmas drum. When the colindat winds up at his own house, he brings pleasure to his family, and receives a lovely holiday surprise in return...
When I stumbled upon The Christmas Drum this past weekend at my public library, I was intrigued by its description of a traditional Romanian Christmas custom, as I know nothing of the holiday celebrations in that part of the world. I'm glad I picked it up, as it was both entertaining and educational, spinning a tale that will feel familiar to children of all cultures - the separation from a beloved parent at the holidays, the desire to do well, when stepping into a more adult role - while also providing culturally specific information. The author's brief foreword sets the scene, introducing young readers to the idea of the colindat cu duba, before the story works that idea into a narrative of family love and holiday joy. The artwork, done in watercolor by Diane Paterson, is colorful and appealing - I particularly liked the holly and ivy borders around each page - and adds to the reader's enjoyment. All in all, this was an engaging holiday story, one that highlights a cultural tradition that will be unfamiliar to many American children. Recommended to anyone looking for Christmas stories set in Romania, or featuring musical traditions.… (mais)
When I stumbled upon The Christmas Drum this past weekend at my public library, I was intrigued by its description of a traditional Romanian Christmas custom, as I know nothing of the holiday celebrations in that part of the world. I'm glad I picked it up, as it was both entertaining and educational, spinning a tale that will feel familiar to children of all cultures - the separation from a beloved parent at the holidays, the desire to do well, when stepping into a more adult role - while also providing culturally specific information. The author's brief foreword sets the scene, introducing young readers to the idea of the colindat cu duba, before the story works that idea into a narrative of family love and holiday joy. The artwork, done in watercolor by Diane Paterson, is colorful and appealing - I particularly liked the holly and ivy borders around each page - and adds to the reader's enjoyment. All in all, this was an engaging holiday story, one that highlights a cultural tradition that will be unfamiliar to many American children. Recommended to anyone looking for Christmas stories set in Romania, or featuring musical traditions.… (mais)
This is a story about how the Christmas carol Silent Night was born. This was a fantastic read! Getting to learn about the circumstances that organist Franz Gruber had to deal with that eventually led him to create one of the best known tunes in the world was awesome. As well as learning that the song was first a poem that just came to Father Joesph Mohr. This is a great story to show students how this song really came to be such a long time ago. The illustrations in this book were also amazing.
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Estatísticas
- Obras
- 5
- Membros
- 121
- Popularidade
- #164,307
- Avaliação
- 4.0
- Críticas
- 3
- ISBN
- 7