Jungle Drums

by Graeme Base

Tired of being teased, Ngiri, the smallest warthog in Africa, uses a set of magic drums to make wishes, but he is not careful enough and makes the rift between the Warthogs and the beautiful Other Beasts even worse.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Animals, Fiction, Africa, Music, Cultural

40 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 2004

About the author

Graeme Rowland Base is a British-Australian author and artist of picture books. He is perhaps best known for his second book, Animalia published in 1986, and third book The Eleventh Hour which was released in 1989.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a lot of fun with this book set in the jungle. Our MC is a warthog. In the jungle, fashion is everything baby. The animals have a parade everyday to show off their feathers, horns, spots, necks, stripes, and trunks. The warthogs are left across the river in the mud and they are thought of as ugly. We follow the runt of the warthogs who is very small. He is made fun of by his own people and the other animals in the jungle. He is tired of this, so he runs into the jungle and finds and old wise Wildebeest. The wise one gives him magic bongos to play which will make his wish come true, but things don’t always work out the way you think they should.

The warthog makes his wish and everything is different, but not the way he wanted them to be. He upsets the order of the entire jungle. It takes 3 wishes and by the time the story is over, it’s the animals who changed and not the warthog. It’s a great fable about appreciate your differences and accepting others differences. I love it.

The artwork is amazing. The animals are hilarious showing off their colors with their eyes and on each page is a hidden wildebeest somewhere. I didn’t find him often. I love Graeme Base.

The nephew loved this silly story. He had a great time with it. He searched over the pages looking for that hidden Wildebeest and he doesn’t think it’s there on every page. He’s convinced he would have found it. He thought the animals were funny and so he gave this 4 stars.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

Here's one I like a lot more than my son ever will. I chose it because it was sticking out just so from the library shelf and the cover art was pretty spectacular. The art inside, just as good and better. The story, very nice about accepting who you are told in the context of jungle animals including warthogs and the "other animals" which are all the animals you think of when you think jungle animals. Everyone wants to be colorful and spotted and beautiful like them, but don't realize that it means they can't do things they are used to doing. I haven't gotten to do it yet, but the last page says that there are characters hid in every set of pages which makes this book even more awesome. I'll be looking more Graeme Base up in the future.

[Brandon · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first half of this book is a lousy Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer rip-off. The second half is a battle of black magic, and then things get kind of badass. But then they suck again.

Squirting Warthog /A Family Trip to Africa

[Amanda Murphy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another win for Base!

[Dustin Roberts · Rating 3 out of 5]

When Ngiri Mdogo, the smallest warthog in Africa, is tired of being picked on by all the other warthogs he crosses the river to where all the animals with stunning spots, striking stripes, impressive horns, curly trunks, graceful necks, and gorgeous plumage live. Hoping to make new friends he is only more disappointed when they make fun of him for not only being small, but plain as well. When the wise wildebeest Nyumbu finds Ngiri crying, he complains of all the teasing. Nyumbu gives him a set of bongo drums that have the ability to grant wishes as they are played. But, she warns him that they may come true. The next morning the coats have changed on all the animals. The once beautiful animals have now become plain and the warthogs now have the stunning spots, striking stripes, impressive horns, curly trunks, graceful necks, and gorgeous plumage. But, still Ngiri is the same. All the warthogs continue to tease him. That night Ngiri plays the magic Bongos a second time, awaking the next morning to find that all the animals across the river have their stripes, spots, trunks, etc. back, but something is wrong. Everything is on the wrong animal. At the same time the warthogs have become more like the other animals as their, horns, paws, trunks, necks, and feathers have grown to their normal size. Unable to cope with any of this the animals march across the river to one another angry. Ngiri then makes it known that it was his fault and explains his magic bongos. He promises to use his third wish to fix it all. The next morning all has returned to normal, but now no one is teasing Ngiri and everyone realizes how happy they are to be themselves.

A very enchanting story told in an unfamiliar setting for most children. Using safari animals as an attraction to the book, Base has created a work that reinforces self-confidence and self-esteem. One can also note the importance for respecting others and understanding differences in people that make them solemnly unique to the world. Base also uses his illustrations to signal repetitional reading of the book. In the author notes at the end of the last page we find out that there are several hidden surprises and signs to look for in each of the illustrations. Very intriguing, but to find the answers you must read it yourself.

[Daisy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Loose moral story about accepting others the way they are and consequences of wishes. Illustrations are vibrant and nice. Didn’t like this as much as moonfish (my first Graeme Base book)

[Jack Kirby and the X-man · Rating 3 out of 5]

The thing I remember loving about Animalia and Eleventh Hour from my childhood was the really detailed intricate illustrations that cleverly added to the written plot. I remember staring for hours finding all of the details in the illustrations, linking the illustrations to the written plot – and finding all the unexpected elements.

This book didn’t live up to those (perhaps inflated) memories. The illustrations are spectacular by any standards – Graeme is a true illustrative genius. But the book would work as a story, even without the illustrations. The illustrations are much simpler than the Graeme Base I remember – with the main character animals taking the vast majority of the pages (with only the occasional relatively unexpected dragon-fly or lizard to spot).

The library book version I had was missing the critical puzzle explanation page, which will have impacted my enjoyment of this book.

The story is interesting and provides insight into an important moral.

I love the use of authentic African names for all the animals (they are Bantu language group names, my African language knowledge doesn’t allow me to be more specific – maybe they are Swahili?). It such a refreshing difference compared with Jill Murphy’s elephants – Mr and Mrs Large, Laura, Lester, Luke and baby. It continues the moral of acceptance of difference beyond the written story of acceptance of different appearances to expanding the horizons of possible names – and through this with some parental encouragement into the languages of these names and the cultures of the people who speak them.

[Brooke Mullins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jungle Drums by Graeme Base is very cute. The pictures are essential to the story and do a fantastic job of telling the story. The messages portrayed in this book are to accept and enjoy yourself the way you are, bullying hurts others feelings, and be careful what you wish for. This book has so many lessons you can teach children.
For teachers who may want to read this to a class, this book also uses very good adjectives.I would use this book when introducing adjectives.
Another fun thing about this book is the author gives the readers two tasks at the end of the book that encourage the children to go back and observe the pictures and possibly read the story again.

The only thing I did not like about this book are the sentence structures. Base capitalizes many words that are not supposed to be capitalized. These words do not seem to be important so I feel like it will teach students who are learning to write the wrong rules about when to use and not use capital letters.

I would read this to children 3rd grade and under, but the reading level is 3.4 according the scholastics.

[Amy Wheatley Hale · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sam really liked this one. The smallest warthog in Africa is tired of being teased by his bigger relatives and the beautiful Other Animals (a zebra, elephant, giraffe, rhino, cheetah, and a crested crane). An old wildebeest gives the warthog some magic drums, which he uses to wish for a change. The next morning, the markings of the Other Animals are gone, leaving them a dull brown. Meanwhile, the other warthogs wake up with new, beautiful markings. The smallest warthog sees that this is not really what he wished for, so he takes our his drums and tries again that night. In the morning, he sees the Other Animals have markings again, but they're on the wrong animals! This is Sam's favorite part. The bird with the elephant trunk is pretty hilarious. The warthogs are getting tired of their new attributes, which have become exaggerated and uncomfortable. Everyone agrees they were happier before, so the smallest warthog makes one last wish, which puts everything right again.

[Lydia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ngiri Mdogo is the smallest warthog in Africa, which the other warthogs and animals make sure to point out to him. Often. Tired of their bullying, he visits Nyumbu, the wise wildebeest and receives from her a set of magic drums. These drums can make wishes come true! But not always how the wisher intended...

Graeme Base always does beautiful drawings and Jungle Drums does not disappoint in that regard. (Is it just me though, or are his drawings less realistic, more cartoony than they used to be?) This story also has quite a bit of text and the Swahili names may be a challenge for some young readers, but are also pretty fun to learn how to say (which the guide in the back of the book explains the phonetics), so shouldn't pose too much of an issue.

No content issues.

[Magila · Rating 5 out of 5]

What I love about this picture book is 1) the integration of Swahili, 2) the illustrations and 3) a story which was so wonderful and convincing by the end I believed it was a folk tale and not original. But, it was original (maybe inspired from other traditional tales), and as usual the author incorporates wonderful hidden treats for inquisitive children to find. This would be a bit more appropriate for early stage readers, 5ish, as the story has plenty of depth and words which will be both sight words and sounded out (in particular the Swahili names).

A fun book for all little animal lovers, with a positive message.

[Heather B. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ngiri Mdogo is the smallest warthog in Africa; all the other warthogs make fun of his size and all the other beautiful animals in Africa makes fun of him too because he is not as beautiful like them. Ngiri runs into the wildebeest who is the oldest and wisest animal in Africa; she gives him a set of drums that will make his wishes come true, but not in the way he would expect. After a couple of wishes he changed how all the others looked, but he stayed the same. I suggest for early elementary, kindergarten through 2nd grade. Published 2004.

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Beautiful picture book that celebrates the largely uncelebrated warthog, famous for their protection of offspring. Whilst at first glance they resemble a wild boar, they are smaller, don't threaten humans and are aggressive only when they are backed into a corner (by stupid tourists who attempt to pat them) or threatened by the animal chain of being. They are human in their familial operations. Great book to introduce children to the wonders of animal species, particularly in the African continent. Realistically illustrated with appeal.

[Mommooshka · Rating 4 out of 5]

Graeme Base's illustrations are works of art, as always. And like all of his books, Jungle Drums is more than just a story. There are hidden images and details to search for on every page.

Most important, however, is the message that we are all different and should not judge ourselves or others by external, superficial criteria. Brings that message home clearly in a fun and vibrate way even to small kids.

Highly recommend all of Graeme Base's books. You always get a good story, fabulous illustrations, clever visual tricks, and a puzzle or mystery to solve.

[Randie D. Camp, M.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Little Ngiri is the smallest warthog in Africa and is teased by the bigger warthogs, as well as, by the other more beautiful animals. He acquires a set of magic drums in hopes of changing himself but something unexpected happens.

Graeme Base's story promotes self-worth, in addition to the "be careful what you wish for" message. In true Base style, there are hidden elements on each page for readers to find.

[Ryan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love Base books. Not only is the artwork stunning, he always has a search and find that goes with the story. But he doesn’t tell you that to begin with, he makes you wait til the end to let you know what you need to seek. And most things are harder to find than Waldo. Plus he tells a story that is so important. This one is that looks only really matter to one person. That you need to love yourself.

[Ellen Wilkinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

My four year old son and I adore this book. It's illustration and many layers have kept him captivated, so much so that we have read it every night for the last month. There is so much to learn and enjoy from this book and like all good books it takes you on a fantastical journey with a lovely moral to learn.

[Amy · Rating 5 out of 5]

A warthog is teased because he is small. So a wise wildebeest gives him magical bongoes that provide him with wishes. He wishes that the other animals change appearance with hilarious results.......

The illustrations are very nice and there is a lot to look at in them.

[Meredith Estes · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Graeme Base's illustrations always. And, I usually love his stories but this was not one of my favorites. It's a bit like Rudolph the Red-nosed Reindeer, which seemed pretty heavy handed. My girls did not take to it but the illustrations were beautiful as always.

[June Guymon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great book that teaches that difference can be good. Love the illustrations.

[Kaethe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Full blown Base-love at our house. Animals AND puzzles.

[Hannah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Loved the illustrations!! So beautiful! Also the story was thought provoking with a great moral!

[Darin · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love the illustrations!

[Shane · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another classic by Graeme Base, with a message of being happy with yourself as you are, instead of always wishing you were like others. Gorgeous, imaginative illustrations just complete the picture.

[erebus K Rushworth · Rating 3 out of 5]

This Audiobook would be a really good companion to the picture book. I don't think it really is done justice without the illustrations, as that is what Graeme Base is truly renowned for. I could see this being a good classroom aid for very young children, and the audiobook has two MP3 versions, one that is words-only and one that has music included. I could see some children finding it easier to understand just the words, if they don't have to listen past the noise of the drumming.

As a self narrated title this falls short of my expectations. A British/Australian author writing with African names, it hurts my ear to hear.

I wish that giving the narration job to someone who can pronounce names from Africa in the way they are natively spoken would save the story. It's cute. It's for kids. It's also a HUGE pet peeve of mine when people write about the fantastic megafauna of the African continent, and say that they all live in The Jungle. Crested Crane, Warthog, Elephant, Wildebeest, Rhinoceros, Giraffe and others are mainly found in Sub-Saharan Savannahs, and infrequently in tropical bush or rainforest.

That said, the values that underpin the story include accepting diversity, applauding others' strengths, and accepting your own traits, both strengths and challenges, without disparaging others. I can see how this would be a valuable teaching tool for discussing ideas about inclusivity with younger people.

[Cynthia Elomaa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVE this book. You don't always gets what they want, and sometimes you get what you want, just not the say you wanted or expected. This beautifully illustrated picture book ( I absolutely love these illustrations) centers on Ngiri, the smallest Warthog in Africa. Ngiri is tired of being picked on. He wants to change, but most importantly, he doesn't want to be picked on anymore.

When Ngiri comes across a set of magical drums, Ngiri plays the drums with all his heart and follows the directions, he makes a simple wish. Only the wish doesn't turn out the way he hopes. The Warthogs and now fighting the Beautiful Other Beasts. That wasn't supposed to happen! Nigiri needs to fix things, and from the look of things he needs to fix things fast so Nigiri plays the drums again and makes another wish. But it just doesn't help. The rift between the Warthogs and the Beautiful Other Beasts gets worse. Wish after wish, Nigiri tries to get it right. In the process, Nigiri finds that maybe, just maybe things should go back the way they were.

Nigiri makes one final wish, .... you'll have to read the story to find out what happens next. I promise you this, you'll love the end. An enjoyable read for the whole family. A book you'll love to the very end.

[Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Graeme Base illustrations. Always so much detail and such rich colors. The hidden pictures are a bonus!
The story itself is pretty simple, and with pretty generic messages about bullying, being careful what you wish for, etc. It's really the pictures that make this a 4 star book.
As a storytime read, it might work for older kids, but it's a bit long for the littler ones. Some good vocabulary though, and with the details in the pictures, it would definitely make for a fun one-on-one read.

[Madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has a great meaning behind it to teach children that they should like themselves the way they are and not compare themselves to others. When this happens in the book terrible things happen to the animals and the things they love and admire about others but it turns out they do like themselves the way they were. This book also has secret pictures and slight changes to the background animals in it for the reader to find.

[Zanna McMurtrey]

You can really hear this book. It has wonderful rhythm and pentameter. I don’t speak Swahili very well, but I think the animals names are the names of the animal in Swahili and that just makes it all the better. Not to mention the gorgeous art. I really think this is a great way to introduce a new culture and language.

[Brittney Cayford]

Jungle drums is a unique and abstract way to introduce the concept of different types of animals in an area. This book has fantasy realistic animals that all live in the same jungle. This book recognizes the importance of being kind to one another and being your true self. The magical drums grants a wish in a way that was not expected but what was needed most.