Drumbeat in our Feet- Nonfiction: Informational

Drumbeat in our Feet is a nonfictional informational book about African dance. It starts off having children from Brooklyn, Harlem, and the Bronx talking about how they are African dancers that are going to tell the stories of their ancestors. The book then goes on to describe the different components and traditions of African dancers. It is arranged so that there is an explanation on the left page, and the story is on the right page. This makes the book great for a variety of ages. It can be read to young children by just using the story, or to older children by using the more in-depth descriptions. It provides many interesting facts about African dance that most people would not know. A lot of African children do not know about the ways of their ancestors. This would be a book that they would be able to relate to because it tells how things used to be and still may be in their homeland. It is also great for teaching other children about different cultures. The end of the book provides real pictures of actual African dancers called the Batoto Yetu. It shows pictures of them and provides a description of their group. There is also a map in the back of the story that has all of the places that are mentioned in the book labeled. This allows the reader to see exactly where these foreign lands are located. The last page contains a pronunciation guide for all of the words that the reader may not know. This is especially helpful if one is going to be reading the story aloud. It is also good if a student is doing a presentation on the topics that the book entails.