Jungle Drum
PreSchool-Grade 2-The rain-forest animals are quiet as they listen to the jungle drum. When the beat stops, they slowly fill the silence with their own calls and cries. Insects, frogs, monkeys, and parrots add their sounds to the crescendo before the instrument resumes its song. Then they stop to listen again. Swan layers her cut-paper illustrations to provide a sense of the density and richness of the tropical environment. At first glance, one can glimpse some animals, but closer inspection often reveals additional creatures. Rebecca Emberley's Jungle Sounds (Little, Brown, 1989; o.p.) is similar in the use of cut-paper illustrations and in the concentration on sound. Emberley's straightforward presentation of animals and corresponding sounds will satisfy preschoolers while Jungle Drum could hold the attention of older children as well. The text lacks the rhythmic fun of Gail Jorgensen's Crocodile Beat (Aladdin, 1994). Adults who read Wundrow's text aloud may long for a bit of verbal pizzazz to engage their listeners. The illustrations will have to capture their interest.Kathy Piehl, Minnesota State University, MankatoCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.