Ten Oni Drummers / Diez tamborileros oni

In this playful, rhyming picture book, a child learns to see monsters as his friends who chase away spooky dreams. Alone on a beach, in Japan, the boy sees a tiny oni (OH-nee) creeping up from the sand. Soon there are two, then three of the colorful goblins, each with its own number written in kanji on its back. The cumulative counting chant begins: “Ichi, ni, san-tun-tun. One, two, three, around they run!” As they beat their taiko drums they grow bigger—and more numerous. They carry on wildly, devour their dinner, smiling with crooked fangs and red eyes. What will they do with their very largest drum once all ten towering oni are assembled? With bright watercolor paintings, Stone draws on the folk culture of her native Japan to portray the monsters as both frightening and funny. The author's note further introduces Japanese taiko, oni, and kanji. A chart at the end shows how to draw and pronounce the Japanese numbers one through ten, symbols understood not just in Japan but in China and Korea too!

"Perfect fare for fans of wild rumpuses—with an afterword that includes background information on oni, taiko (Japanese drums), and charts for writing 1-10 in kanji script." —Kirkus Reviews

“As restrained, graceful, and concise as the art form it honors.” —The Horn Book, starred review of Cool Melons—Turn to Frogs! “Readers would be hard-pressed to find a more eloquent…and inspiring approach to understanding (and writing) this deceptively simple art form.” —Publisher’s Weekly, starred review

“Readers would be hard-pressed to find a more eloquent…and inspiring approach to understanding (and writing) this deceptively simple art form.” —Publishers Weekly, starred review of Cool Melons—Turn to Frogs!

"Gollub and Stone's lively Ten Oni Drummers (2000) gets an equally spirited Spanish-language translation in this bilingual (at times, trilingual) version. As a young Japanese boy looks out on a beach, small oni, or ogres, start crawling one by one from the sand. Rhythmically beating their taiko drums makes them grow bigger, until there are ten huge oni dancing on the beach, protecting the boy from bad dreams. Reyes' buoyant translation nicely mimics the pace and energy of Gollub's original, and while the lines don't always scan, the bouncy meter nicely matches the drumming action of the plot. Stone's watercolor and colored pencil illustrations feature friendly, playful monsters that are never scary despite their glowing red eyes, and the bold colors are a nice contrast to the subdued hues of the beach background. The back matter, also translated into Spanish, offers more background on oni, taiko drums, and kanji and even includes an introductory calligraphy lesson. The combination of English, Spanish, and Japanese is unusual, and libraries looking to widen their selection of bilingual titles will appreciate this one. —Leon Wagner, Booklist Online

"Ten Oni Drummers is playful, rhyming, picture book in which a child learns to see monsters as his friends who chase away spooky dreams. Alone on a beach, in Japan, the boy sees a tiny oni creeping up from the sand. Soon there are two, then three of the colorful goblins, each with its own number written in kanji on its back. The cumulative counting chant begins: "Ichi, ni, san-tun-tun. One, two, three, around they run!" As they beat their taiko drums they grow bigger -- and more numerous! They carry on wildly, devour their dinner, smiling with crooked fangs and red eyes. What will they do with their very largest drum once all ten towering oni are assembled? With bright watercolor paintings, Kazuko G. Stone draws on the folk culture of her native Japan to portray the monsters as both frightening and funny. Author Matthew Gollub further introduces Japanese taiko, oni, and kanji. A chart at the end shows how to draw and pronounce the Japanese numbers one through ten, symbols understood not just in Japan but in China and Korea too! Also available in a Spanish-English bilingual edition, this original and thoroughly 'kid friendly' picture book is highly recommended for family, daycare center, preschool, elementary school, and community library collections." —Midwest Book Review

"Although the oni may seem like scary creatures, they are actually quite friendly and helpful. VERDICT: Young readers will enjoy this book demonstrating that everyone has bad dreams, but that there are simple and fun ways to overcome them." —Martha Rico, Ysleta ISD in TX, School Library Journal Online

Matthew Gollub is a nationally known children’s author, speaker, and performer. He has created 18 picture books which together have garnered 25 national awards and distinctions. His experiences living overseas, and his knowledge of Spanish and Japanese language, have inspired several of his most popular works including Cool Melons—Turn to Frogs! and Jazz Fly 2: The Jungle Pachanga. Kazuko G. Stone’s books for children, many first published in her native Japan, have captivated readers worldwide and garnered numerous awards both in the United States and abroad.