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The Fastest Drummer: Clap Your Hands for Viola Smith!

Five girls played together in the Smith Sisters Orchestra: Irene on trombone, Erma on vibraphone, Edwina on trumpet, Mildred on violin, and Lila on saxophone. But what of the littlest sister? When Viola’s time came, almost every instrument was taken... except one. When she first sat behind a drum kit, she lost the beat, made a terrible racket, and had more fun than she’d ever had before.

Viola took to the road with her family, learned from the greats, formed her own band in the face of discrimination and ridicule, mastered twelve- and seventeen-piece drum kits, and played so fast she left no room for doubt: women could not only keep the beat — they could beat the odds. At one hundred years of age, Viola was still slamming her snare and socking her cymbals!

Dean Robbins’s affectionate portrait of one of the few female professional drummers of the early twentieth century includes an endnote with resources for discovering other female musicians. Susanna Chapman’s swirling illustrations capture the joy and energy of Viola’s stage presence while introducing young readers to the essential art form of jazz.

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Description

"To change minds about female musicians’ abilities, Viola formed her own women’s band. The group became renowned, and Viola was dubbed “the fastest girl drummer in the world.” Wanting to help other female musicians, she wrote a magazine article when World War II started, encouraging big-name bands to hire women to replace servicemen.... Pulsing with energy, this lively book shines a much-deserved spotlight on an artist who became renowned playing an instrument most commonly associated with men. Appropriately, onomatopoeic words representing the sounds of drum crashes cavort playfully throughout the eye-popping watercolor, gouache, cut-paper, and digital illustrations. Bang the drums — loudly — for this arresting account of a gifted virtuoso." — Kirkus Reviews

Product Details

Recommended Age 5 - 9
Author Dean Robbins
Illustrator Susanna Chapman
ISBN 1536224863
Publication Date Mar 5, 2024
Publisher Candlewick
Language English