Besides the fact that I think this book deserves a better title, it was a great book. This book was told to the author by New Orleanians who actually witnessed the city of New Orleans years ago. The two were able to tell about the people selling fruit and other foods for a very low price. Each vendor had their own saying or "cry" which was always a catchy one. I was even happy to notice my uncle as the grand marshal in the great illustrations. ( )

Rum-A-Tum-Tum starts out with an unnamed girl and her experiences living in New Orleans from the moment she wakes up. Two main ideas are mentioned in this book, which are the two main things people hear about New Orleans. She mentions all the people she sees at the market and people in the street selling food. Then she goes on to mention a funeral second line and another second line. There are parts of the book where you can tell someone is speaking and these parts are in italics. Its written in the past and the clothing choices and images you see in the illustrations give this away. ( )

Every morning there are many people selling bananas, snap peas, and strawberries in New Orleans. There are also creole women and vendors with baskets on top of their heads. Okra, tomatoes, squash, blueberries, and potatoes are offered by street sellers. Each street seller has their own street cry. A street cry is an advertisement that sale people use. Each street cry is different, and people in New Orleans recognize the sellers by their cries. Parades are on the street, and people join them to dance. The book reflects New Orleans in the 1900s. It reflects the culture, and the people of New Orleans. ( )

PIERCE COLLEGE LIBRARY AGES,8 AND OLDER THIS BOOK IS ABOUT HOW THINGS WAS IN THE TURN OF THE CENTURY, PEOPLE SELLING, FRUITS,VEGETABLE,AND WHAT EVER THEY WANT TO SELL AND THEY HAD A PARADE WITH LOAD NOISE , HAPPY TIMES

This book is about a girl who listens to the street vendors of New Orleans. She describes to different fruits and vegetables they had, They would sing it in song. Then later she hears a parade coming and the rum-a-tum-tum on the drums and joins in by dancing and clapping her hands. This would be a good book to read around Mardi Gras and ask the students if they heard the drums go rum-a-tum-tum. ( )