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One Is a Drummer: A Book of Numbers
This lively concept book shows that the world around us is filled with things to count. Three are the dim sum carts filled with yummy treats, eight are the candles on a birthday cake, and ten are the bamboo stalks growing in a garden. Many of the featured objects are Asian in origin, but all are universal in appeal. With brilliantly colored illustrations, an ear-pleasing text and an informative glossary, this truly multicultural book will make counting a fun part of every child's day!
40 pages, Hardcover
First published March 1, 2004
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65 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews
February 5, 2019
This counting book, while showing some nice examples of Chinese cultural traditions, is a bit weaker than some of the other numbers books I've read... not least because it could potentially be confusing.
When I read Red Is a Dragon by the same author and illustrator, I was a little confused as to why some colours warranted more pages. In that book, it wasn't such a big deal. In One Is a Drummer, however, the same sort of thing happens, which leads to some numbers having two verses and pages, and others only having one. I really don't think that works for a book about counting, unless you want to teach your kids to count to ten as follows: one, one, two, three, four, four, five, six, seven, eight, eight, nine, ten!
I found the illustrations here just as underwhelming as I did in Red Is a Dragon. They're colourful and adequate, but I don't love them.
Overall, this is a passable counting book, but it isn't great. Its value lies more in the depiction of the Chinese traditions rather than the actual counting... which is a shame for a counting book!
When I read Red Is a Dragon by the same author and illustrator, I was a little confused as to why some colours warranted more pages. In that book, it wasn't such a big deal. In One Is a Drummer, however, the same sort of thing happens, which leads to some numbers having two verses and pages, and others only having one. I really don't think that works for a book about counting, unless you want to teach your kids to count to ten as follows: one, one, two, three, four, four, five, six, seven, eight, eight, nine, ten!
I found the illustrations here just as underwhelming as I did in Red Is a Dragon. They're colourful and adequate, but I don't love them.
Overall, this is a passable counting book, but it isn't great. Its value lies more in the depiction of the Chinese traditions rather than the actual counting... which is a shame for a counting book!
March 21, 2017
I love this book because it shows a different cultural that children can learn the different foods that they introduce in the book. Moreover, children can learn that anywhere they go they can count things that are around them. The book talks about the four seasons as well which are spring, summer, fall and winter. I can ask children what season is there favorite and why. The book is also a counting book with rhyming words which I believe is great for young children. The numbers go all the way to ten. The color in the illustrations are very colorful.
October 23, 2010
We don't usually read "number" books anymore but this doesn't have to be considered a number/counting book. There is a nice section at the end of the book with definitions/explanations for some of the terms in the book, examples are 'Dim Sum', 'Mahjong', and Dragon Boats' along with a few others.
Grace Lin's illustrations are cheerful and bright and oh so engaging for children and adults. They almost beg you to keep looking.
I wouldn't check it out again or go to buy it for our own collection but it was a quick, fun read for us this afternoon.
Grace Lin's illustrations are cheerful and bright and oh so engaging for children and adults. They almost beg you to keep looking.
I wouldn't check it out again or go to buy it for our own collection but it was a quick, fun read for us this afternoon.
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September 30, 2014Sing to the tune of Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star
July 24, 2018
One of the first melodies that most children learn is "Twinkle Twinkle Little Star." This book was designed to be sung to that simple tune.
Roseanne Thong and Grace Lin have done three picture books that explore Chinese culture. They are all worth exploring: Red is a Dragon is a colors concept book. Round is a Mooncake is a shapes concept book. One is a Drummer is a numbers book.
We follow a girl as she counts things in her community (from one to ten). There are dragon boats, fishballs, dim sum, Mahjong players, bamboo stalks, and more.
Grace Lin tends to use a lot of very busy patterns, which can be overwhelming for some kids. The thick black lines she draws with help a little.
This is a wonderful book for teaching children about another culture or for learning more about their own heritage. However, as with all of Thong/Lin's Chinese concept books, some of the unfamiliar elements will add an extra challenge that may be too much for some. My son Luke's attention waned on pages where his difficulty understanding the text and images was most tested. A "dragon boat" was something we were able to label. Two "greetings on the wall," written in Chinese characters, was too alien an concept. Still, because of the familiar counting concept book structure, he was able to understand that there was two of something he was meant to count. He scanned the page and was able to point and say "one, two" in the correct places, but without the understanding of what he was pointing to.
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I review books for children from the perspective of a parent of kids with autism. The review above is part of a longer post on books about singalong books: https://www.lineupthebooks.com/40-sin...
Roseanne Thong and Grace Lin have done three picture books that explore Chinese culture. They are all worth exploring: Red is a Dragon is a colors concept book. Round is a Mooncake is a shapes concept book. One is a Drummer is a numbers book.
We follow a girl as she counts things in her community (from one to ten). There are dragon boats, fishballs, dim sum, Mahjong players, bamboo stalks, and more.
Grace Lin tends to use a lot of very busy patterns, which can be overwhelming for some kids. The thick black lines she draws with help a little.
This is a wonderful book for teaching children about another culture or for learning more about their own heritage. However, as with all of Thong/Lin's Chinese concept books, some of the unfamiliar elements will add an extra challenge that may be too much for some. My son Luke's attention waned on pages where his difficulty understanding the text and images was most tested. A "dragon boat" was something we were able to label. Two "greetings on the wall," written in Chinese characters, was too alien an concept. Still, because of the familiar counting concept book structure, he was able to understand that there was two of something he was meant to count. He scanned the page and was able to point and say "one, two" in the correct places, but without the understanding of what he was pointing to.
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I review books for children from the perspective of a parent of kids with autism. The review above is part of a longer post on books about singalong books: https://www.lineupthebooks.com/40-sin...
September 20, 2023
One Is a Drummer by Rosanne Thong, illustrated by Grace Lin is a number book that introduces children to the numbers 1 through 10. For the majority, the book uses double-page illustrations of Chinese cultural symbols to teach children these set of numbers. As each number progress the representation of that number is symbolized and associated to things part of the Chinese culture. Each double-page image also uses the same girl of Chinese ethnicity alongside either family or friends in order to teach these numbers. When it comes to the concept of numbers this book adds/incorporates cultural significance and ethnic representation. The numbers are part of a fusion between different ethnic backgrounds as some of the pages where children are playing include a mix of different ethnicities. This is impactful because Sims Bishops points out how literature can be transformative and reflect the personal lives and experiences of children in ways that make them a larger part of human experience (“Mirrors, Windows, and Sliding Glass Doors,” 2015, pg. 1). Taking into account Bishops statement, this book reflects Chinese culture as part of a larger human experience because children of different ethnic backgrounds are also part of the Chinese cultural symbols used to illustrate the images for some of the numbers. As a whole, numbers is a way the book demonstrates how Chinese culture can be shared with other children of different ethnic backgrounds instead of being contained within the same ethnic group.
December 12, 2017
diverse picture book (Chinese festivities--New Year, Dragon Boats, Eight Immortals, etc./Counting; preschoolers 3 and up)
* Features diverse characters: lots of Asian-looking characters, as you'd expect, but quite a few darker-skinned kids (as well as light-skinned Caucasians) are included in the festivities. A lot of the things pictured may take some explaining, even among kids of Asian descent, so I feel that it's more a book for showcasing Chinese culture than it is about counting, though there half of the pictures will be universally recognized (9 kids playing in the sprinklers, 8 eating birthday cake, 6 on a merry-go-round.
* Suitable for preschool storytime. Too much for toddlers, but preschool-Kindergarten, sure. This might be a good one for when you're looking for Lunar New Year books. It could also work for the "counting" theme, since the objects are colorful and mostly large enough to be countable by the crowd.
* Features diverse characters: lots of Asian-looking characters, as you'd expect, but quite a few darker-skinned kids (as well as light-skinned Caucasians) are included in the festivities. A lot of the things pictured may take some explaining, even among kids of Asian descent, so I feel that it's more a book for showcasing Chinese culture than it is about counting, though there half of the pictures will be universally recognized (9 kids playing in the sprinklers, 8 eating birthday cake, 6 on a merry-go-round.
* Suitable for preschool storytime. Too much for toddlers, but preschool-Kindergarten, sure. This might be a good one for when you're looking for Lunar New Year books. It could also work for the "counting" theme, since the objects are colorful and mostly large enough to be countable by the crowd.
September 12, 2019
This book is a counting book that has more than one page for some numbers but not for others. What?? If you use this to teach kids to count, you get 1, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 5, 6, 7, 8, 8, 9, 10. I'm not kidding. I just don't get the point. The illustrations depict some fun Chinese cultural traditions though.
July 16, 2018
A numbers book with a Chinese twist. Fun for both a numbers storytime or a chinese new year storytime. Not a huge fan of the illustrations. Good for preschoolers.
August 21, 2019
A counting book that also introduces the culture of Chinese-Americans.
September 5, 2020
Fun children’s book introducing numbers through the lens of Chinese traditions. Written in English.
April 23, 2021
A counting book with Chinese heritages. A nice read with good illustrations.
February 25, 2015
One is a Drummer: A Book of Numbers by Roseanne Thong was a book you can tell immediately was written for a purpose rather than for pure entertainment. The book goes page by page with a different counting number, and shows pictures that show that counting number, whether its talking about pairs of feet or how many food items there are. I like this book because it would be a good for classroom involvement and helping with their understanding of basic counting numbers, but the pictures relating to each number could have been done in a much better way, I personally believe. I also liked how they had a clear incorporation of Chinese culture, which added something new and entertaining to the book. Most children at the reading level appropriate for this book might not know a lot about china and their culture, and I think it is cool that this book could be a segway into a whole new world of information.
There are a few main purposes behind the reasons to incorporate this book into a classroom setting. First, and most obvious, this book could be used for kindergarten through first grade students in their stages of learning the counting numbers. Having pictures that go with each number would be highly beneficial for the students and give them a picture to relate to a number they might have confusion with. Second, this book incorporates a lot of Chinese culture, which would most likely be new and exciting to students and give them a new look at numbers if they already have a firm grasp on them. This book gets students involved and as a teacher you could have them give suggestions how numbers are shown within the classroom or just their previous knowledge. The word choice of this book was another aspect that was beneficial because it incorporates Chinese words into the content, such as dim sum and mahjong. This also provides a good opportunity for students to learn new words create a new understanding on words they might previously have known.
There are a few main purposes behind the reasons to incorporate this book into a classroom setting. First, and most obvious, this book could be used for kindergarten through first grade students in their stages of learning the counting numbers. Having pictures that go with each number would be highly beneficial for the students and give them a picture to relate to a number they might have confusion with. Second, this book incorporates a lot of Chinese culture, which would most likely be new and exciting to students and give them a new look at numbers if they already have a firm grasp on them. This book gets students involved and as a teacher you could have them give suggestions how numbers are shown within the classroom or just their previous knowledge. The word choice of this book was another aspect that was beneficial because it incorporates Chinese words into the content, such as dim sum and mahjong. This also provides a good opportunity for students to learn new words create a new understanding on words they might previously have known.
February 25, 2012
In this book each page had it’s own story. It didn’t have a legit story line throughout the entire book. It was also written in poem from which I think would attract the attention of the kids with the rhyming. However I personally was not all too impressed with this book. I found the pages to be confusing for a kid who was just starting to learn to count. They were very busy and sometimes had things of multiple numbers not just the number that the page was talking about. For example the number five; for this number the page was talking about five balls on the stick that she was eating, however there were three balls of ice cream, three balls in a bowl, a watermelon, hotdogs, things like that. Not every page was as confusing as this one but many of them were. It just seemed to me like it could confuse and frustrate a child who is just starting to count.
December 6, 2009
This is a fun counting book that highlights Chinese culture. It is one of a series of books by the same author that all have an educational and cultural theme. Our girls enjoyed this book, and it's great for beginning readers. Also, our girls enjoy watching this book read aloud on the "Tumblebooks" online audiobook site (tumblebooks.com)
January 17, 2013
This is an excellent book to introduce some Chinese culture to children while learning about numbers. The illustrations are beautiful and the children depicted in the story are multi-cultural. In the back cover there are definitions of some different chinese terms introduced. The children I read this book to enjoyed all aspects of the story.
February 12, 2014
Putting history and counting all in one book,interesting! It is simple to understand and is a very simple read. The repetition in the story makes it flow and fun to read. I like the bright colors in the book as well. Then at the end there is a glossary of words that we might not get because they are specific for that culture, this is perfect for children.
May 17, 2010
Nice counting book featuring Chinese-American culture. Once again, I love the backgrounds on the pictures by illustrator Grace Lin.
July 19, 2012
This book has beautiful illustrations and shows children that counting is essential in everyday life. This book also introduces children to new cultural items such as dim sum carts, bamboo stalks, etc.
July 6, 2014
Many Asian items to count in this book as well as non Asian. Will give young ones a peak into Asian culture. A brief page telling about some Asian items and customs is included. The book has a definite energy to it which may inspire children to run, play and find items to count.
July 14, 2014
This is a nice book about counting things in the world around us up to 10. It incorporates a lot of Chinese culture - dragon boats, fish balls, mahJong. A nicely illustrated and well told book. Just wish it went higher!
October 16, 2014
Very well made counting book. Unlike most counting books, this one gave more than one example to go along with the numbers. I liked that and the pictures were very culturally aware and fun. Great book for small children.
March 19, 2008
I've read this to my kids a gazillion times. It blends counting, chinese culture, and illustrations with striking color....I'm kind of sick of it; but they love it.
October 27, 2008
Cute number book. Uses chinese things. great rhyming.
January 24, 2009
rhyming counting book - china-inspired
March 8, 2010
A counting book with a Chinese influence.
April 1, 2010
Great rhyming. Great illustrations.
July 26, 2013
This book is just ok! Dragon boats! Chinese Americans! Counting is kind of fun! But eh, pretty simple stuff.
April 24, 2014
A fun and vivid counting book, with multicultural, bold illustrations and an emphasis on Chinese culture.
June 23, 2023
Fun rhyming text with lively illustrations from the same team who did Red is a Dragon and Round is a Mooncake.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 30 reviews