The Little Drummer Boy

by Henry Onorati, Henry Onorati, Harry Simeone

For many who grew up with “The Little Drummer Boy,” this classic story of the encounter between a poor boy and the baby Jesus embodies the true spirit of Christmas. Now, to enchant a new generation, Kristina Rodanas has illustrated the beloved song. Her rich paintings cast an exotic, magical glow over the familiar words, bringing a unique vision to this timeless celebration of the joy of giving. The complete words and music appear on the last page so that readers can sing along.

Genres: Christmas, Picture Books, Holiday, Childrens

29 pages, Hardcover

First published September 17, 2001

Reviews

[Erin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I always enjoy a Christmas book with song lyrics to wonderful songs. Extra points for nice illustrations

[Natalie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Illustrations are stunning, 4 stars because the words are just the song and I hate singing aloud books.

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'd give it one star since Caoimhe's been singing this song for 8 weeks now...but the illustrations are beautiful.

[Megan Chan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Category: Children's picture book

I picked this book because I had previously sang this song many many times. When I opened this book, I thought it was going to be a story but it the caption was the songs. However, the pictures were so beautiful and I felt like it told a story to me even without the words.

[Suzie · Rating 5 out of 5]

My kids are obsessed with this song to the point of watching people drum to it on YouTube. They loved this book and the illustrations. I'm sure we'll read it in the future!

[Ruth · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love this carol so much. I'm probably going to read every single version of this song before I decide which one to buy.

[Zozo · Rating 5 out of 5]

My 2 year old brother LOVES this book.

[Henessy Tolliver · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoyed reading this book because I felt like a was going along with the drummer boy to see king. The images were so real and included great characteristics for the culture.

[Jennifer · Rating 3 out of 5]

The illustrations are nice, the words are literally just the text of the song, all 3 verses.

[Lisa Rathbun · Rating 5 out of 5]

In this picture book, beautiful pictures accompany the familiar words to the Christmas song. Don't skip the title page which shows the boy playing his drum - one that looks authentic to the time period! - and the acknowledgements page which shows him watching the three kings approach from afar. The next page begins the song -- "'Come,' they told me" -- showing one of the wise men beckoning to the boy to follow them. The boy is appropriately ragged and barefoot; the baby Jesus really looks like a little baby. My favorite picture is the one where he plays because [possible spoiler although this picture is shown on the front cover too] is seen glorious angel wings, signifying the beauty and wonder of his heart-felt gift of all he had -- his music.

I have two other versions of this song -- The Little Drummer Boyand The Little Drummer Boy -- but this one to my mind surpasses them.

[Noelani · Rating 5 out of 5]

2022: Another favorite Christmas book we read again this year. The illustrations make this beautiful song of a poor and lowly drummer come to life! All he has for the Lord, his drum, is offered to Him with child-like innocence and a big heart. It’s all so beautiful.

2020: The illustrations to this classic Christmas song are so beautiful. It made us teary-eyed.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book provides beautiful illustrations to go along with the lyrics to the song "The little Drummer boy". It is a quick read with so much meaning. It is a great way to teach your child about true meaning of Christmas. We enjoyed reading it! And now my daughter will know the words to the song!

[Tammy · Rating 1 out of 5]

Didn't realize it was just song lyrics. Not a favorite.