My Little Drummer Boy on the 13th Day of Advent

I was a huge fan of Ezra Jacks Keats when I was growing up.  From 'Hi Cat' to 'The Snowy Day' I loved his all of his books.  As a child I don't think I realized, actually I know I didn't realize that it was because Peter, the main character, was black.  Here was a little boy doing regular little boy things, but he was black, colored like me!  I don't recall having all that many books with characters of color as the main character.  Think about it...all the princesses, elves, little children in our favorite childhood stories...how many were black?  I'm not talking about the books my parents went in search of, but the ones sold at the Barnes and Noble of the 70s.  Yeah not so many.  Certainly, my dolls were always the black version.  I had the Christie doll (as well as Barbie), but I also had Christie's boyfriend, Curtis.  My Baby-That-A-Way was black as were most of baby dolls.  Babies that looked just like me, and I loved it.  I actually preferred it.  That much I do remember.  But books...not as many options.

But there was Ezra Jack Keats and Peter.  'A Letter to Amy'  and that 'Hi Cat.'  Loved them.  Just sitting here typing this brings back so many warm memories...not the kind where I can see myself sitting down with my mom while she read them to me, though I know she must have.  But the kind where I just feel so good and wistful.  I actually have tears in my eyes with the memories, that warmth of an amazing childhood, and I did have an amazing childhood;  I have some pretty amazing parents.

So when I found Ezra Jack Keats' 'The Little Drummer Boy' I just had to get it for Tate.  The song 'The Little Drummer Boy is probably my most adored 'secular' Christmas song.  I simply love it.  I could listen to it all day long.  I especially enjoy Whitney Houston's version.  I cry every single time I hear this song by anyone. 

Last night, Tate opened up this book.  My heart just melted with joy.  He wasn't over the top thrilled with it, the illustrations are not 'toddler' friendly, and they're very muted.  But that is Ezra Jacks Keats...understated beauty, that a 2 year old may not appreciate, but his 44 year old mother certainly does.  I gathered Tate up and read him his Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Christmas story as requested while we rocked, and then I open up 'The Little Drummer Boy' and sang it to him softly as I turned the pages.  Amidst my own tears, Tate sat enthralled.  He lay with his head on my chest, his arms out as if to absorb all the beauty of the book and song and just sat entranced.  We sang/read the book 4 times at his request.  Then we turned out the lights and I sang it to him one more time with him curled up on my shoulder as I rocked a bit more.  Pure bliss.

This morning as we were getting ready to go to work/daycare I sat down with him on our living room couch.  He was having a moment of some sort for reasons only a 2 year old knows.  (though I suspect the cat knows because he scampered out of the room pretty quickly as soon as I came in to see what the whining was about)   I picked Tate up and lay his head on my shoulder and asked if he wanted to hear 'The Little Drummer Boy'.  He nodded yes, so I sang it a couple of times.  No more tears. 

I then told him I would find my CD with the song on it.  Sadly, Tate himself has made such a disaster of all my CDs I couldn't find it :(  He kept saying 'I wanna hear Rum Pum Pum.'  

My little drummer boy.