I recently encountered a wonderful picture book, THE FASTEST DRUMMER: Clap Your Hands for Viola Smith, written by Dean Robbins and illustrated by Susanna Chapman. THE FASTEST DRUMMER thrums and booms and rat-tat-tats with vibrant energy telling the story of jazz drummer Viola Smith (1912-2020) from Mount Calvary, Wisconsin. Robbins’ writing and Chapman’s art portray Viola’s unstoppable love for music and determination to play. This book is filled with joy. Honestly, you want to get up and dance around the room with it!
Viola’s remarkable career began when she and her seven sisters formed the Smith Sisters Orchestra. Viola played the drums. Viola loved the drums! The Orchestra toured the Midwest, playing in ballrooms and vaudeville venues for enthusiastic crowds. When Viola’s sisters began leaving the Orchestra, Viola did not want to stop playing her drums. All male bands of the time would not hire women. So, creative and determined Viola organized another successful all-woman band, The Coquettes.
Viola gained fame as an excellent drummer — the fastest girl drummer in the world — but she wanted more. In 1942, Viola wrote bold article, Give Girl Musicians a Break, for the magazine Down Beat. She argued that women instrumentalists were as skillful as men and should be hired to play in popular bands. People took notice. The music industry took notice. Women began to appear in previously all male bands. Viola led the way.
I love the dazzling energy and the positive message in this book. Robbins’ text carries us from one exciting moment in Viola’s career to the next. Chapman’s illustrations burst with joy. You can almost hear the music coming off the pages. If you are looking for a children’s picture book that celebrates creativity, determination and doing what you love, consider this book.
If you would like to see Viola Smith’s amazing drumming watch this great YouTube video Frances Carroll & Her Coquettes Featuring Drummer Viola Smith. Viola never stopped loving the drums and played on until she was 107 years old!
A further note about Dean Robbins. Dean Robbins is a Madison, Wisconsin native who has written numerous widely praised non-fiction picture books including– THANK YOU, DR SALK: the Scientist Who Beat Polio (declared by my eight-year-old granddaughter to be “the best book I ever read!”), TWO FRIENDS: Susan B. Anthony and Frederick Douglass, and THE ASTRONAUT WHO PAINTED THE MOON: The True Story of Alan Bean.
Learn more about Dean Robbins and his work at http://deanrobinns.net/
Thank you for stopping by and reading!