Picture Books About Percussion! 3 books to read after finishing Listen by Shannon Stoker
Drums, marimbas, wood blocks and jingle bells! Who doesn’t love the percussion family? Chances are one of the first instruments you ever played was a member of the percussion family. Who remembers the sand paper blocks from elementary music class? Percussion family. Rhythm sticks? Percussion family. If you can shake, scrape or tap it, it is a member of the percussion family.
One of our recent selections is about world famous percussionist, Dame Evelyn Glennie. Released in April of 2022, Listen by Shannon Stoker, tells the story of Glennie’s courageous path to becoming the first professional percussionist. Oh…and Dame Evelyn? She happens to be deaf.
Drum Dream Girl
By Margarita Engle
Who says girls can’t drum?
Agrimira "Millo" Catstro Zaldarriaga was born into a large Chinese-African-Cuban family in the early 1900's. As the group Anacaona, Millo and her sisters performed a genre of music known as son cubano, a mixture of Spanish and African music that until Anacaona's popularity, had been dominated by male musicians.
This charming tale shows readers the importance of following your dream, no matter who or what may try to stand in your way.
Tito Puente: Mambo King
by Monica Brown
Tum-tica-tac-tic-tum-tic-tom-tom!
Learn to play a basic rumba beat while reading about Tito Puente: Mambo King! Tito Puente was best known for playing a unique percussion instrument called the timbales. Timbales are shallow drums that are tuned (made to sound) higher than a traditional tom-tom drum. They are most often played in pairs and you will usually found a cow bell mounted atop!
I love the inclusion of the rumba beat notation in the back of the book and how it is incorporated throughout the story, giving readers the opportunity to make music while they read!
My Family Plays Music
By Jody Cox
Do you come from a musical family?
Meet brother and sister and grandma and grandpa! Each family member we encounter plays a different style of music and the main character has the perfect instrument to compliment each style. My Family Plays Music is not only wonderful for introducing many different types of instruments but musical genres as well.
Percussionists play a LOT of instruments!
For the Grown-Ups!
Women Drummers: A History from Rock and Jazz to Blues and Country by Angela Smith
Inspired by the trailblazing jazz drummer Viola Smith, Angela Smith celebrates the women who’ve defied convention and disapproval to prove that drumming is not just a man’s game. In addition to a historical perspective on women and sacred drumming, the book features interviews with more than fifty drummers from jazz players like Allison Miller, through rockabilly queen Liza Pankratz, to rockers like The Bangles’ Debbi Peterson and Vixen’s Roxy Petrucci.
Music Library hopes you’ll look for these titles at your local independent bookstore or public library!
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Digital Resources Page!
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For more fun related to percussion including videos, printables and fun facts, visit the Music Library Resources Page!