(2) PS Guitarist Strum and drummer Drum "wanted to march all the way to the Great Star in the north!" Off they go, in a mysterious forest with lanterns that flicker off and on, a waterless waterfall, and glass bubbles that don't pop. Awan's unique stylized illustrations are effectively varied, heightening the little drama. A soldier prince warns them about a "beast with green eyes," but the two bravely march on. And then the beast strikes: "Strum and Drum went tumbling through the air...away from all they had known." The illustrations, now in black and white and rendered realistically, offer a different, holiday-centered perspective on the situation. And by the end, Strum and Drum reach the Great Star, where they make music from on high.

Reviewer: Kitty Flynn | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2022