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THE MUSICIANS OF BREMEN

Name: THE MUSICIANS OF BREMEN
Author: Niroot Puttapipat
ISBN: 0-7636-2758-5

adapted by Niroot Puttapipat & illustrated by Niroot Puttapipat ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2005

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This beloved Grimms’ tale time-travels to the 17th century in a beautifully illustrated retelling by the grandson of a Lan Na Thai princess. The story’s basics remain the same: Four cast-off, doomed-for-slaughter animals meet up on the road and agree to travel to Bremen as musicians. One night, when the hungry troubadours encounter a band of robbers feasting in a cottage, they try out their musical act (while bursting through a window), understandably terrifying the four men. (Who knew a donkey’s bass continuo and a rooster’s aria could be so chilling?) The robbers bolt, then return only to be scared off again, convinced that the scratching, biting creatures must be trolls and demons. The animals move in to the cottage and live happily ever after. The author explains that a 17th-century setting allowed him to develop the musical aspect of the story, with brief mentions of composers from Claudio Monteverdi to Heinrich Schütz. The watercolor-and-ink illustrations are intricate and gorgeous, but also lively and expressive. Make room on the “Bremen Town Musicians” shelf. (author’s note) (Picture book. 6-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2005

ISBN: 0-7636-2758-5

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Candlewick

Review Posted Online: May 19, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 2005

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NUTCRACKER
adapted by Kate Davies ; illustrated by Niroot Puttapipat

- BOOK REVIEW
JINGLE BELLS
by James Lord Pierpont ; illustrated by Niroot Puttapipat

- BOOK REVIEW
THE NIGHT BEFORE CHRISTMAS
by Clement C. Moore & illustrated by Niroot Puttapipat

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RAPUNZEL

adapted by Rachel Isadora & illustrated by Rachel Isadora ‧ RELEASE DATE: Oct. 1, 2008

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Rapunzel, Rapunzel, let down your dreads! Isadora once again plies her hand using colorful, textured collages to depict her fourth fairy tale relocated to Africa. The narrative follows the basic story line: Taken by an evil sorceress at birth, Rapunzel is imprisoned in a tower; Rapunzel and the prince “get married” in the tower and she gets pregnant. The sorceress cuts off Rapunzel’s hair and tricks the prince, who throws himself from the tower and is blinded by thorns. The terse ending states: “The prince led Rapunzel and their twins to his kingdom, where they were received with great joy and lived happily every after.” Facial features, clothing, dreadlocks, vultures and the prince riding a zebra convey a generic African setting, but at times, the mixture of patterns and textures obfuscates the scenes. The textile and grain characteristic of the hewn art lacks the elegant romance of Zelinksy’s Caldecott version. Not a first purchase, but useful in comparing renditions to incorporate a multicultural aspect. (Picture book/fairy tale. 6-8)

Pub Date: Oct. 1, 2008

ISBN: 978-0-399-24772-9

Page Count: 32

Publisher: Putnam

Review Posted Online: June 24, 2010

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 2008

Categories:

CHILDREN'S GENERAL CHILDREN'S

- BOOK REVIEW
DO I HAVE TO WEAR A COAT?
by Rachel Isadora ; illustrated by Rachel Isadora

- BOOK REVIEW
MY DOG LAUGHS
by Rachel Isadora ; illustrated by Rachel Isadora

- BOOK REVIEW
I JUST WANT TO SAY GOOD NIGHT
by Rachel Isadora ; illustrated by Rachel Isadora

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BUBBA, THE COWBOY PRINCE

A FRACTURED TEXAS TALE

by Helen Ketteman & illustrated by James Warhola ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 1, 1997

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A Cinderella parody features the off-the-wall, whang-dang Texas hyperbole of Ketteman (The Year of No More Corn, 1993, etc.) and the insouciance of Warhola, who proves himself only too capable of creating a fairy godcow; that she's so appealingly whimsical makes it easy to accept the classic tale's inversions. The protagonist is Bubba, appropriately downtrodden and overworked by his wicked stepdaddy and loathsome brothers Dwayne and Milton, who spend their days bossing him around. The other half of the happy couple is Miz Lurleen, who owns ``the biggest spread west of the Brazos.'' She craves male companionship to help her work the place, ``and it wouldn't hurt if he was cute as a cow's ear, either.'' There are no surprises in this version except in the hilarious way the premise plays itself out and in Warhola's delightful visual surprises. When Lurleen tracks the bootless Bubba down, ``Dwayne and Milton and their wicked daddy threw chicken fits.'' Bubba and babe, hair as big as a Texas sun, ride off to a life of happy ranching, and readers will be proud to have been along for the courtship. (Picture book/folklore. 6-8)