The One-Of-A-Kind Drum Kit - (Bo Keeps the Beat) by Andrew Bambridge

About the Book

Second-grader Bo, who has achondroplasia, loves music, and sometimes in school he listens more to the rhythms in his head than to his teacher, which gets him in trouble because he drums on his desk--so his parents put together an improvised drum kit to give him a place to drum at home.

Book Synopsis

Ba-dah-dum! Ba-dah-dum! Oops! Bo is drumming on his desk at school again, and his teacher is not happy. But Bo loves to drum! And sometimes, he doesn't even know he's doing it. It's tricky to find the time and place for his drumming passion. Just when Bo thinks he's in big trouble for drumming instead of listening, his dad has an idea that will help Bo stay on beat! Musician, educator, and actor Andrew Bambridge (Pixels) offers a charming chapter book series about a boy named Bo who, like Andrew, has achondroplasia and has always loved music.

Review Quotes

In this new own-voices series, second grader Bo is passionate about making music and learning how to play instruments. Bo, like the author Bambridge, has achondroplasia, a condition that makes some of his bones shorter than those of other kids. While this sometimes presents challenges, like when his feet can't reach the piano pedals, or his arms aren't long enough to reach the length of a clarinet, Bo finds creative ways to adapt. This gentle, relatable series also explores common friendship and classroom situations that many kids will relate to. Full-color illustrations punctuate the three chapters of each book, and well-spaced and well-sized paragraphs make these stories accessible to newly independent readers. A glossary, discussion questions, further information about achondroplasia, and other topics, like musical ­instruments, are appended in each volume. VERDICT Recommended for purchase in all early chapter book collections, especially those in need of disability representation.-- "School Library Journal"