Ten Oni Drummers

At dusk, on a beach in Japan, a young boy falls asleep and begins to dream, but soon he has company—a tiny oni, creeping up from the sand. Throughout the night, one-by-one, more oni appear, until there are ten in all, and they grow bigger, too. They begin beating their taiko drums, louder and louder. They sail on a raft, play games, have a big meal, and eventually chase away the boy’s scary dreams.
In this playful, rhyming story, young children find reassurance and comfort for their fears when scary dreams come their way. Through art and story, children also learn about Japanese taiko drumming and the Japanese words and characters for the numbers one to ten.

Author Biography: MATTHEW GOLLUB is the author of numerous children’s books, including Lee & Low’s award-winning Cool Melons—Turn to Frogs!, an ALA Notable Book and a Horn Book Fanfare selection. Gollub, who is fluent in Japanese and Spanish, lives in Santa Rosa, California, with his wife and their son.; KAZUKO STONE is the illustrator of Cool Melons—Turn to Frogs! In addition, she has illustrated many other books for children in the United States and her native Japan. A full-time artist, teacher, and designer, Stone lives in New York City with her two daughters.