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L
T K I NG
A
by Bill E. Neder
illustrated by
Elizabeth Wolfe
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Copyright © by Harcourt, Inc.

All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced or transmitted in any form
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Printed in the United States of America

ISBN 0-15-323123-8

Ordering Options
ISBN 0-15-325523-4 (Grade 2 Advanced-Level Collection)
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1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 179 10 09 08 07 06 05 04 03 02 01
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L
T K I NG
A
by Bill E. Neder
illustrated by
Elizabeth Wolfe

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RNL01AIN2X_INA23_1-20 5/22/01 11:53 AM Page 2

As the hot sun beat down on the African

village, Jon and his grandfather left their
hut and walked to the field. A cool wind
blew in their faces.
Jon appeared to be thinking hard.
2
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“What do you think about, young one?”

asked Grandfather. “Do you think of the
fruit we will pick today?”
Jon smiled. “No,” he said. “I like the fruit
and its sweet juice, but that is not what I
am thinking about now.”
3
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Soon Jon and his grandfather had

reached the fruit trees.
“Grandfather,” he said, “Momma will have
her baby soon. Maybe today. If we are out
here in the field, we won’t hear the news.”
4
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Grandfather patted the boy on the head.

“Don’t worry, young one,” he said. “If Momma
has the baby, we will know right away.”
Jon looked startled. “How?” he asked.
“The talking drums will tell us,” said
Grandfather.
5
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“Talking drums?” asked Jon. “Are you

making a joke, Grandfather?”
“No,” Grandfather said. “Come, let’s pick
the fruit. Then I will tell you all about the
talking drums.”
6
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Grandfather stepped up on his ladder.

He picked fruit and threw it down to Jon.
The boy put it in a sack.
The man and boy worked for a long time.
Pick, catch, pick, catch. The job created a
kind of rhythm. Pick, catch, pick, catch.
7
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While the sun’s heat swelled, so did Jon’s

sack of fruit!
Grandfather came down from the ladder.
They each took a piece of fruit and bit into
it. The sweet juice cooled them off.
8
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“Now, please tell me what a talking drum

is,” Jon said.
Grandfather smiled. “I will do more than
that. I will play one for you.”
“Where is it?” asked Jon.
“You are sitting on it!” Grandfather
laughed.
9
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The startled boy jumped up. “This is only

a tree log!” Jon cried.
“No,” said Grandfather. “It is not like
most logs. Look inside.”
Jon said, “Grandfather, part of the inside
is missing. The log is hollow!”
10
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Grandfather explained. “Long ago, people

first used tree logs for drums. They
hollowed out the inside. Then they beat the
log with short sticks. The sounds imitated
the sounds of speech.”
“I want to try!” Jon cried.
11
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Grandfather found two short sticks. He

sat by the log and hit it hard. Jon looked
surprised.
“It spoke to me!” the boy cried.
“Yes,” Grandfather laughed. “If you hit
the drum the right way, you can make
many sounds of speech.”
12
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Just then, Jon and his grandfather heard

drums far away.
“They are talking drums!” Jon cried.
“Let’s hear what they are saying.”
13
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Jon and his grandfather listened quietly.

Then Jon let out a big yell.
“Momma had a baby boy!” he shouted.
“Hear the news, Grandfather! I have a new
baby brother! That suits me fine!”
14
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The two flew back to the village as fast as

they could. Many friends and family were
there, waiting for them.
Two men sat with talking drums. They
didn’t need a conductor to lead them. They
continued to play as people sang and
danced to the rhythm.
15
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Soon, everyone in the village appeared.

“A new baby boy!” they cried.
“A new baby brother!” Jon cried.
The whole village danced to the rhythm
of the talking drums into the night.

16
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Think and Respond

1 In what two places does this story
happen?
2 On page 11, what does the word beat
mean? What else does beat mean?
3 What does Jon learn in the story?
4 How do you know that Jon is happy
about the news he hears?
5 How does Jon’s mood change?
6 Would you prefer to talk with someone
by drums or by phone? Why?

Keep a Rhythm Use a pencil to tap

out a rhythm. See if a classmate can repeat it.
Take turns, creating different rhythms.

School-Home Connection Read aloud the

story to a family member and then act it out
together.

Word Count: 547