In My Neighborhood

A search for ones place in the world provides the storyline: The narrator, a drum, feels like an outcast because he aloneunlike his family and friendscannot play a melody. Like all kids growing up, he must find out where he fits. The narrator, a drum, wanders the streets of Coelhos vividly realised city of musical instrumentswhere even the birds sprout miniature trumpets from their mouthsfeeling like an outcast because he alone, among all his family and neighbours, cant play a melody. He adores his violin brother, cello father and piano mother but feels he has nothing to offer to their music. "My father is Cello, and oh, what a fellow. The tone of his laugh is low, smooth and mellow. But me? My names Drum. BOOM-CLACK, RAT-A-TAT. My head is a snare and I wear a hi-hat. My stomachs a bass drum, my arms are drumsticks and my only song is CLICK-CLACK, CLACK-CLICK". But one day a trio of saxophones ask him to join their band and what they tell him gives him an epiphany "So thats what a drum does! I now understand. I dont carry a tune; I carry a band". But he must still prove it to himself, and that takes all his courage. Loubriels story of bravery and identity, infused with Latin rhythms and joy, provides a fine vehicle for Coelhos vibrant technique and palette. Coelhos city of music bursts with exuberance. In backmatter, Loubriel, a lifelong drummer, explains how the drum kit lays a songs foundation. The bass drum is the heartbeat; the hi hat is the dynamic metronome; the snare drum is the drum kits singer.