Ten Oni Drummers

By Matthew Gollub, Kazuko Stone
Paperback: $11.95

In this playful, rhyming story, young children find reassurance and comfort for their fears when scary dreams come their way. Through art and story, children also learn about Japanese taiko drumming and the Japanese words and characters for the numbers one to ten.

Front cover for Ten Oni Drummers - Bebop by Matthew Gollub and Kazuko Stone
This book is also available in English
Ten Oni Drummers – Bebop
By Matthew Gollub, Kazuko Stone
Front cover for Diez tamborileros oni by Matthew Gollub and Kazuko Stone
This book is also available in Spanish
Diez tamborileros oni
By Matthew Gollub, Kazuko Stone

Description

At dusk, on a beach in Japan, a young boy falls asleep and begins to dream, but soon he has company–a tiny oni, creeping up from the sand. Throughout the night, one by one, more oni appear, until there are ten in all, and they grow bigger, too. They begin beating their taiko drums, louder and louder. They play games, have a big meal, and eventually chase away the boy’s scary dreams.

With bright watercolor paintings, Stone draws on the folk culture of her native Japan to portray the monsters as both frightening and funny. A delightful read-aloud that’s part counting exercise and part bedtime story!

About the Creators

Matthew Gollub

Matthew Gollub is a multi-talented children's book author and speaker. He has produced more than twenty picture books, including his award-winning Jazz Fly series with audio. A dynamic drummer and bilingual (English / Spanish) presenter, he has also performed at over 1,000 elementary schools, across the US and abroad, inspiring students and families to read for fun. He lives with his family in Northern California. Visit him online at matthewgollub.com.

Kazuko Stone

Kazuko G. Stone was born in Tokyo, Japan, and immigrated to the United States in 1974. She lived in New York City for nearly 50 years and wrote and illustrated more than 30 children's books during that time. Her books have been published in six languages and distributed all over the world. Cool Melons Turn to Frogs, a book of haiku that Kazuko illustrated, won numerous awards and distinctions including two starred reviews and an American Library Association Notable Children's Book. She passed away in 2022. You can learn more about Kazuko at kazukogstone.com.

Reviews

  • "Ten garishly hued creatures from Japanese folklore gather one by one on a beach for an exuberant drumfest in this bedtime-cum-counting-rhyme from the creators of Cool Melons—Turn to Frogs!. . . Perfect fare for fans of wild rumpuses — with an afterword that includes background information on oni, taiko (Japanese drums), and charts for writing 1-10 in kanji script."

    - Kirkus Reviews
  • "A humorous look at nighttime fears, a delightful counting book, and an appealing story poem. The verse is crisp and childlike. Stone's vibrant, expressive watercolor-and-pencil illustrations strike just the right balance between being scary and funny. They fill each page with motion and color. Clear Japanese characters from 1 to 10 adorn the shirts of each one. The book concludes with a pronunciation guide, background notes, and a number chart. A delightful and unique offering to fill requests for bedtime and counting books."

    - School Library Journal

Paperback

  • ISBN 9781643797168
  • Price $11.95
  • Publication Date Apr 01, 2013
  • Trim Size 8.5 × 10.25 in
  • Weight 0.3 lbs
  • Page Count 32
  • Hardcover

  • ISBN 9781584300113
  • Price $16.95
  • Publication Date Apr 01, 2013
  • Trim Size N/A
  • Weight 0.4375 lbs
  • Page Count 32
  • Word Count 246
  • Interests

  • Imprint Lee & Low Books
  • Audience Children
  • BISAC Category 1 JUV / Concepts / Counting & Numbers
  • BISAC Category 2 JUV / Places / Asia
  • BISAC Category 3 JUV / Bedtime & Dreams
  • Themes Art, Asian / Asian American / AAPI, Beginning Concepts, Childhood Experiences and Memories, Counting Money / Everyday Math, Fantasy, Fiction, Folktale / Folklore / Traditional Literature, Music, Poetry
  • Reading Levels

  • Age Range Ages 4 - 7
  • Grade Range Grades PreK - 2
  • Guided Reading J
  • ATOS Book Level 2.3
  • DRA 18
  • Lexile Code AD
  • Lexile Level 570
  • Lexile Measurement AD570L
  • Reading Recovery Intervention 19
  • Reading Level 2
  • Bebop Reading Early Fluent
  • This Book is Included in These Collections:

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