THE PIED PIPER OF HAMELIN

by Tony--Adapt. & Illus. Ross ‧ RELEASE DATE: April 18, 1978

Ross' hyperkinetic rats are such exaggerated comic cartoons--their jaws like long beaks, their tails sticking straight out, or up, like swords--that their very fatness escapes him; he tries so hard for laughs that he fails to evoke even the suggestion of a shudder. His people are cartooned just as misguidedly, and his story too throws away the old tale's possibilities by making the mayor alone guilty of not paying the piper, the other townspeople (unseen) merely ""wait[ing] in vain for their children to return,"" and the children, after their exodus, new colonizers of a lovely valley full of peaches, sausages, and happy songs. Handled with any sensitivity ""The Pied Piper"" can always expect a rapt following, but Ross never strikes the magic notes.

Pub Date: April 18, 1978

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Lothrop, Lee & Shepard

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: April 1, 1978

Categories: CHILDREN'S