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Parents' Guide to

Ezra Jack Keats' The Little Drummer Boy and Four More Holiday Stories

By Colette DeDonato, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 4+

Scholastic drums up memorable multicultural tales.

Movie NR 2006 42 minutes
Ezra Jack Keats' The Little Drummer Boy and Four More Holiday Stories Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this movie.

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What's the Story?

Just one of four stories in this holiday collection, the version of The Little Drummer Boy on this DVD is really just the traditional song -- "pa rum pa pum pum"-- sung to some beautiful illustrations by John Ezra Keats. The next story is Merry Christmas, Space Case by James Marshall, in which Buddy McGee waits for his friend from outer space, who promised to visit him on Christmas. When the space creature doesn't come, the boy panics because he's already told the intimidating Goober twins about his friend. The next short, Sam and the Lucky Money, a book by Karen Chinn, is a wonderful story about a young Chinese boy who finds compassion for a homeless man he meets in Chinatown. And in The Tomten, a classic Scandinavian folktale, a bearded, gnome-like character goes around in the night whispering encouragement to sleeping animals and children. This set also includes a bonus story, The Twelve Days of Christmas.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
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Kids say (1 ):

In unison, these distinct, cross-cultural stories make for a well-rounded winter holiday exploration. The Little Drummer Boy it might be the least interesting and engaging to your little ones. The other three stories offer much more.

Christopher Lloyd provides the delightfully manic narration for Merry Christmas, Space Case; the young character in Sam and the Lucky Money expresses truly heartfelt compassion, and The Tomten, updated by Astrid Lindgren (author of Pippi Longstocking), is considered the perfect bedtime story in Northern Europe for good reason.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about the different cultures and celebrations presented in these stories. What's familiar to you, and what's different? What do you like about the holidays and traditions your family doesn't celebrate? Families can also discuss who the children meet in the stories and how it changes them. Why does Sam give his money to the homeless man? How does the space creature teach the bullying twins a lesson?

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