Drumbeat in Our Feet

Drumbeat in Our Feet
Written by: Patricia A. Keeler
Illustrated by: Julio T. Leitao
Lee & Low Books, 2012
32 pages
Multicultural

 

                If your feet can keep a beat, then you can surely dance.  If you have a voice, then you can surely sing.  It may not be the best and you may not be able to keep a tune but in Africa it doesn’t matter when it comes to their African dance.  Take a journey with a children’s dance troupe as they learn and preform a traditional African dance in the Drumbeat in Our Feet.

                Julio T. Leitao did a fantastic job at creating such beautiful, colorful, and vibrant illustrations.  They go along so well with the story line.  She captures the traditional and cultural essences in each page.  A section in the back of the book provides photos and information about Batoto Yetu, a well know troupe of children’s dancers.  One of the things I really liked about the book was that it had a pronunciation guide and a map of Africa.

                I would use this story to show my students that there are many different heritages and traditions all over the world.  First I would allow my students to listen and watch a traditional American dance routine and then show them a video of an African troupe children’s dance and allow them to compare and contrast the differences and things they had in common.  Then I would have my students read another story about Africa and learn more interesting facts.  Lastly, I would have my student do a geography lesson by having them search different places where famous troupes are from and what difference they have in their dances.