- Picture Books
- Ages 3–7
- Comedy
Pokko and the Drum
A little frog gets a drum. Her parents immediately regret this. She goes outside and plays, and plays, until every animal in the forest is marching behind her, including one who is there for a different reason. Matthew Forsythe's deadpan debut is the picture book to give anyone who loved Jon Klassen but wants more noise.
- Best for3–7
- FormatPicture
- Length40 pp
- Read aloud~8 min
The vibe
What it’s like.
Style
- Repetitive
- Conversational
- Comedic
- Literary
- Onomatopoeic
Tone
- Funny
- Silly
- Warm
- Whimsical
- Absurdist
- Heartwarming
Themes
Experience meters
What’s it about?
The story.
Pokko is a small frog whose parents give her a drum, a decision they instantly and visibly regret. Undeterred, Pokko heads outside and begins to play. The music draws animals from across the forest one by one, a rabbit, a bear, more, until a full marching band is following her through the trees. Then a wolf arrives. The wolf is not, it's fair to say, there purely for the music. Matthew Forsythe tells the story with the same deadpan economy as Jon Klassen (his former colleague at a Toronto animation studio), using sparse text and expressive animal faces to let the reader fill in what is happening behind Pokko's back. The drumbeat rhythm makes it irresistible to read aloud; the illustrations, in Forsythe's distinctive muted-but-vivid palette, reward close attention and rereading. Children follow the parade; adults keep an eye on the wolf.
Fit check
Right for your child?
Where it lands by age
- 1
- 3
- 5
- 7
- 9
- 11
- 13
- Best fit · 3–7
- Read aloud · 2–8
- Independent · 5–7
Prose load
Light
Visual support
Very high
Reluctant-reader friendly
Very
Read-aloud quality
Excellent
Works well for
- Reading aloud
- Reading together
- Gift-buying
- Reluctant readers
Nothing in the book is likely to concern most parents. Safe to recommend without preview.
Bedtime suitability
3 / 5 · Workable
Sensitive-child
4 / 5 · Good fit
Graphic intensity
1 / 5 · None
Best for
- Music lovers
- Dark humour
- Picture book adults love
- Read aloud
- Gift book
Avoid if
No common reasons to avoid this one — a rare clean sweep on the sensitivity flags.
Particularly good for children who are…
- Interested in art and creativity
- Making friends
- Low self esteem
In the classroom
How it works in school.
A gloriously funny read-aloud about a frog with a drum — a story-time treat about finding your own beat, with a musical, performable feel.
A book children love that happens to support school — never a stand-in for the texts a class is taught with. Reviewed for the classroom · June 2026.
Why it lands
Why they love it.
Why kids love it
The specific delight is the parade — Pokko's parents instantly regretting the drum, Pokko going outside and drumming anyway, animals joining one by one until a full marching band is following her, a wolf joining for distinctly his own reasons. The Forsythe deadpan picture-book classic.
- Adventure and freedom
- Being special or chosen
- Friendship and belonging
- Making a difference
- Talking to animals
Why parents love it
The Matthew Forsythe modern picture-book standard — Klassen-adjacent deadpan economy, drumbeat rhythm making it irresistible aloud, muted-but-vivid palette rewarding rereading. Children follow the parade; adults watch the wolf.
- Shared humour
- Beautiful illustrations
- Quick to read
- Great writing
About the author & illustrator
Matthew Forsythe.
If you liked this
Three ways out of this book.
If you liked this, try…
Lateral matches. Same shelf, different texture.
Come into this from…
Easier or preparing reads — perfect lead-ins.
Where to go next…
Escalation reads — a step up in scale, silliness, or stakes.
Where you’ll find it
On these reading lists.
Buy or borrow
Pick up a copy.
- Bookshop.org ↗
- Waterstones ↗
- Amazon UK ↗
- Hive ↗
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