“In The Lion Drummer, the book’s protagonist, Lulu, is determined to learn the drum, even though everyone around her declares that the notion of girls drumming just doesn’t fit with the old ways (which, apparently, cannot be changed). Her family is foregrounded as a group that she feels uncomfortable with because she conceives of their contrasting opinions and perspectives as being out of rhythm with each other. Despite setbacks and disapproval, she finds a way to learn and practice the drumming (for which she has much talent). In the end, it’s a happy ending. When her parents, impressed and proud of her festival performance, present her with the new drum, I almost lost the ability to read the book to my daughter. It caught me by surprise because, while I enjoyed reading the story and kind of knew how it was going to end (happy, family and community acceptance, finding her own way through), the effectiveness of the prose crept up on me. I struggled through the last few pages, my daughter not seemingly the wiser. I told my daughter I was writing this review of the book and asked if she wanted to give her take on the book. She said, ‘I like the dragons and lions!’ Of course she did. And I love a book that manages to bridge generational tastes and desires. I hope the narrative and lesson about persistence and being true to self stays with my 6-year-old. But I’ll be happy if all she remembers are the dragons and lions dancing on the streets of Australia. They weren’t in my childhood memories, growing up in 1970s Brisbane, and I can’t help wishing that they had been.”

“The Lion drummer” is an excellent book. This story is about a girl named Lulu. Lulu has one younger sister named Flora. A baba and a mama which is Chinese for dad and mum. Lulu also has one dream that one day she will become a lion drummer. Lulu wants this more than anything in the world. So one night at dinner she asked her baba. ‘Baba what do you do if you really want to do something that is not the traditional way?’ Lulu’s baba said, ‘First find a good teacher then be a good student. Do you remember the Chinese saying, “A teacher for a day is like a father for life?” Lulu nods and that’s how it happens. Lulu goes to lion drumming lessons every Saturday until …Easter Parade.
I think this book is about following your dreams and having goals. The Lion Drummer is fantastic”