Calling the Water Drum
Illustrator
Aaron Boyd
Publisher
Lee & Low Books
Publication Year
2016
ISBN
9781620141946
Pages
32 pages
Genre
realism
Format
picture book
Item Type
Fiction
Annotation
A young boy loses both parents as they attempt to flee Haiti for a better life, and afterward is only able to process his grief and communicate with the outside world through playing the drums.
Grade Level
K-3; 3-5
Lexile Measure
AD550L
Diversity Topics
Family Relationships; Culture/Ethnicity; Family member death; Legal guardianship; Kinship care; Immigrants and refugees; death of a parent; death of a mother; death of a father; grief; family tragedy; loss; children living with relatives; uncle raising nephew; immigrant children; immigrant family; immigrant parents; relocation; resettlement; emigration
Main Character
male child
Race/Ethnicities
Latinx (Haitian)
Family Formation
mother and father; uncle
Awards
Kirkus Book Review Stars, 2016
Keywords
drum; selective mutism; orphans; New York; Hatian Americans; Haiti; boat; boat trip; rescue; friendship
Diversity Impact
direct
STARS Citation
Redding, LaTisha, "Calling the Water Drum" (2016). Diverse Families. 1789.
https://stars.library.ucf.edu/diversefamilies/1789