Rum Pum Pum

Rum Pum Pum is a folk tale from India, retold by Maggie Duff and wonderfully illustrated by Jose Aruego and Ariane Dewey.  This story is excellent in teaching children about cooperating and helping one another!

Narrative Folklore

The book begins "Long ago in India" with the King hearing Blackbird singing beautifully with his wife next to him!  The King decides he wants Blackbird captured so he can have him caged in his castle, then the King will always be able to hear the singing!  Unfortunately, since Blackbird and his wife look alike, the King's men caught Blackbird's wife instead, leaving Blackbird quite angry!

Blackbird is determined to find his wife, dresses as a soldier and he sets out on a mission to find his wife, meeting other animals and objects along the way who were also betrayed by the King!  Throughout the story, we read the line "RUM PUM PUM, RUM PUM PUM, RUM PUM PUM PUM PUM" as Blackbird bangs his kettledrum and he and his friends head towards the castle!  They all join forces and work together to come up with an exciting plan to bring Blackbird's wife home and the story concludes with "They have lived happily in their tree ever since."

Children will enjoy this book and I feel it represents quality folklore with the word choice having the animals and objects speak just as the humans do within the story.  Also, many fun rhymes are incorporated into the text along with the repetitious "Rum Pum Pum" phrase throughout the book.  Preschoolers will love repeating the "Rum Pum Pum" line while the story is being read to them and love the rhymes as well. I believe school-age children (1st-3rd grades) will also be entertained by the story as they will wonder what happens next--will Blackbird's wife be rescued or will Blackbird and his friends be captured as well?

There are many full-page bright and colorful illustrations which are cartoon-like, similar to George O'Connor's work.  The media/technique of watercolor and pen and ink are very effective in following the storyline perfectly!  Children will love seeing Blackbird and the characters (cat, ants, stick and river) performing all sorts of humanistic feats!

Class Activities:

1. Have younger children make drums!  Let them use crayons/colored pencils to draw the characters on construction paper and tape them around a coffee can.  Then, let them parade around the room tapping on the plastic lid, saying the phrase "Rum Pum Pum, Rum Pum Pum, Rum Pum Pum Pum Pum!"  Then, have each child take turns telling their favorite part of the story.
2. Older children can be asked to make up a catchy rhyme about the characters in the story.  Also, tell them to bring in an object, food, clothing, etc., that represents their culture tomorrow and we'll talk about them.

Rum Pum Pum is a fun story to teach children about folklore, cooperating to get the job done and is very effective in teaching rhymes to them as well!

Other outstanding books by Maggie Duff:

• Dancing Turtle
• The Princess and the Pumpkin

Reference

Duff, M. (1978). Rum Pum Pum. New York: MacMillan Publishing Co., Inc.

ngry and begins a mission to find his wife.

 Throughout the story, meeting !   in India