Overview

A moving story about a family's attempt to flee Haiti in a boat, and a young boy who bravely learns to navigate a new world through playing his drum. Henri and his parents leave their homeland, Haiti, after they receive an invitation from an uncle to come to New York City. Only able to afford a small, rickety boat, the family sets out in the middle of the night in search of a better life. Out at sea, Henri dreams of what life will be like across the great waters. Then the small boat overturns, and Henri is placed on top of the boat as his parents drift further out at sea. Overcome with grief, Henri retreats into himself and is no longer able to speak once he reaches land. Encouraged by his uncle and neighbor, Henri takes a bucket and plays on it like a drum. The drumming becomes a link to his past and a conduit for his emotions. Slowly, through his drumming and the kindness of his uncle and friend, Henri learns to navigate this new and foreign world without his parents. Calling the Water Drum is a tender and beautiful tribute to the resiliency of children and the human spirit.

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9781620141946

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Reviews

* A powerful story of loss and survival, human connection and hope.Henri plays his red bucket like a drum. It's his only physical tie to his parents, who perished while attempting to cross the sea from Haiti to Florida in a small rowboat. He survived and was rescued by refugees in a larger boat, and a note with his New Yorker uncle's name and contact information allows him to find safety in the United States. But Henri is emotionally scarred by the many losses he's endured, and he retreats into selective muteness. Playing his bucket-drum is a way for him to express himself, and his neighbor, an African-American girl named Karrine, who lost her father in the aftermath of a hurricane in Louisiana, provides companionship and understanding. It is to Karrine that Henri speaks his first word when she says: I miss my daddy, Henri. Do you miss your parents? and a sound rises like a wave in my throat. I open my mouth and one word spills out. 'Wi.' Yes. Redding's distinguished text sensitively portrays the tragedies young Henri and Karrine have faced, and Boyd's watercolor illustrations expressively convey the love of Henri's family, the perils of their sea crossing, and the range of emotions he experiences as he finds his way in New York with his uncle and friends. Moving. -- Kirkus Reviews, starred review Redding tells the heartbreaking story of one Haitian boy's survival and adaptation to life in the U.S. in this picture-book immigration tale. Henri arrives in New York City traumatized and unable to speak. He has only a plastic bucket to call his own. His friend Karrine teaches him to thump on it once for yes and twice for no, and so his bucket becomes a drum. Henri takes to drumming to fill the silence in his mind and the pain in his heart, imagining the tones to be the sound of his parents' laughter, connecting with them through his rhythms. Boyd's expressive watercolor illustrations capture Henri's emotional struggles and throw the danger of crossing the ocean in a rowboat into vivid relief. The story highlights the realities faced by children all over the world whose lives are uprooted by calamity. Although the context for Henri's removal from Haiti is unclear, astute readers can be guided to think about why he left, and to make connections to current events. -- Booklist

Author Information

LaTisha Redding makes her picture book debut with Calling the Water Drum. She was inspired to write this story based on the memories of some of her Haitian friends' accounts of how they arrived in the United States. This book is a tribute to everyone who has courageously set forth with hope to start a new life in a new country. Redding lives in the sunshine state, Florida. You can find her online at latisharedding.com or @LaTishaRedding. AARON BOYD has illustrated numerous picture books, including Calling the Water Drum, Janna and the Kings, and Babu's Song for Lee & Low Books, as well as the chapter book The Story of Civil Rights Hero John Lewis. His work has been recognized by the Children's Africana Book Award and the International Literacy Association (ILA). He lives with his wife, son, and dog in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. You can visit him online at aaronboydart.blogspot.com.

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