THE MUSICIANS OF BREMEN

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)