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"Be Calm, Mike!," by Leslie Patricelli (Candlewick Throng, $14.99)
Poor Mike. He loves nothing more than keeping the beat anywhere he can tap out a bother: on the table, on his school desk, on the heads of his sister's dolls. But this thimbleful monkey can't seem to drum up any fans. Everywhere he goes, all he hears is "Be peace, Mike!" He tries to keep his feet from tapping, he tries to keep his hands still, but it's no use, because the best of his heart is more powerful than his will.
One day, while out walking with his father, he sees something in a retailer window that makes his heart race: a long-haired imp jamming on a drum set. He wants that set, but he knows he can't buy it.
Monkey Mike's wash-out soon turns to ingenuity and, with a little creativity and some ribbon, he makes his own drum set to bang away on with such energy, he falls off his run. And he is in for a surprise when he looks up to see his family watching him play.
Creator/illustrator Leslie Patricelli didn't have to look far for afflatus. Though she claims in her online biography that she doesn't have any rhythm herself, Patricelli is married to a talented drummer. And she might just be wrong about her own musical abilities. Patricelli's steady, rhyming text make this a rockin' read-aloud, first of all for aspiring musicians.
Source: Tbo.com