4Real Forums: Drummer Hoff

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Topic: Drummer Hoff

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JennGM
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Posted: Aug 18 2005 at 11:10am \| IP Logged

Drummer Hoff by Barbara and Ed Emberley is a wonderfully illustrated book. But I was surprised when I reached the end...are they implying the canon exploded and killed them all? These reviews also say this was an anti-war book during the height of Vietnam War. Is this a book you avoid reading to the kids? What do you discuss when/if you read this one? If anyone can point to a good talking points/unit study for this book, I'd appreciate it.

I had growing up another book by the Emberleys, Night's Nice which I've been happy to find a copy for my son...who loves it, too...so I was eager to read others by them...now I'm not so sure.

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JennGM
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Posted: Aug 18 2005 at 12:39pm \| IP Logged

As an addendum question, I saw Drummer Hoff listed in the 4RealLearning Around the Year Booklist for May. Is that because of the feast of St. George? Springtime theme? Why is this appropriate for May?

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Jennifer G. Miller
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Meredith
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Posted: Aug 19 2005 at 5:46pm \| IP Logged

Hi Jenn, we read Drummer Hoff last year from the 4real booklist and kind of chuckled over it. My son, then 5 1/2 almost 6 loved it for it's musical sing-song rhyming verse, but that was about it. My then 2 1/2 ds also loved it too, but we didn't go too deep with it. St. George's feast is in April so it was probably for the "soldiers" theme for May, just a guess, maybe Elizabeth or MacBeth have the answer here. If you can find Zin! Zin! Zin! A Violin on video by Reading Rainbow I would imagine your son would get a kick out of that one! HTH.

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Willa
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Posted: Aug 19 2005 at 6:03pm \| IP Logged

My mom used to read this book to my little brother -- we thought it was funny! I may be dense, but I never really picked up and/or cared about the possible anti-war theme; didn't ever think they might have blown themselves up -- how sad!!

If anything I thought it was about the "little person" doing the work that really mattered

-- and possibly also about how life moves on and the works of man aren't so important after all, like Ozymandias but more subtle and gentle.

As for why it's set in for the May list, Aidan's favorite picture is the one at the end with the flowers and grass -- he loves the spider making its home on the cannon. Maybe because that ending is so springlike? Just a thought -- liked the St George explanation

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Cay Gibson
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Posted: Aug 19 2005 at 10:36pm \| IP Logged

My teacher-aunt gave us Drummer Hoff seventeen years ago.

The copy has been read and loved by each of my children.

Such a simply story that the dc are able to read more into it than I am able.

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JennGM
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Posted: Aug 19 2005 at 10:45pm \| IP Logged

The Scholastic Videos include this story on the "Harold and the Purple Crayon" DVD. Ds who is almost two LOVES the story. I was just distraught at the suddenness of the ending and the ??? it left me!

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Jennifer G. Miller
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JennGM
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Posted: Nov 11 2005 at 2:35pm \| IP Logged

Drummer Hoff is supposed to be adapted from an old folk tale or song in which seven soldiers build a cannon together. Would anyone know what origin this song? Text of it?

Thanks!

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Jennifer G. Miller
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