The pied piper, adapted and illustrated by Ayesha L Rubio
Five Mile Press, 2016. ISBN 9781760400477
(Age: 4+) Fairy tale. Pied Piper. Responsibility. Rats.
Reconciliation. Cautionary Tale. A quite different telling of the
story of the Pied Piper is told with stunning watercolour
illustrations. Rats have taken over the town of Hamelin and the
Piper, hearing of their plight, offers to help. The Mayor is so
enthralled that he offers him three sacks of gold. The Piper plays
his pipe and the rats follow him out of the city, but when the Piper
returns to take his reward, the Mayor refuses him. He discusses the
problem with the rats, who are by now his new friends, and they
return to the town and let the children know of the Mayor's
duplicity. The children decide to leave the town and not return
until the debt is paid. The parents finding their children's beds
empty, demand the Mayor leave, and go to the vaults to find the
money to pay the piper. Another twist to the usual story adds a
level of reconciliation to the already loved cautionary tale of
paying your debts. I love the humorous impressions of the town and
the rats, and the Mayor looks so oily!
Fran Knight