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101st out of 188 books
—
22 voters
The Musicians of Bremen
Seeking a new lease on life, four clever creatures make music and mischief in this elegant edition of an oft-told classic.
Once upon a time, Donkey, Dog, Cat, and Rooster, spurned by their owners, decide to set off to Bremen to make their way as musicians, each one according to his voice: Donkey a lute player, Dog a drummer, Cat a violinist, and Rooster a tenor. Along the w...more
Once upon a time, Donkey, Dog, Cat, and Rooster, spurned by their owners, decide to set off to Bremen to make their way as musicians, each one according to his voice: Donkey a lute player, Dog a drummer, Cat a violinist, and Rooster a tenor. Along the w...more
Hardcover, 32 pages
Published
October 11th 2005
by Candlewick Press
(first published 1981)
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Oct 20, 2010
Shanna Gonzalez
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
children-04-08
This is a faithful retelling of the Brothers Grimm's timeless fable about four elderly animals who, upon learning of their impending demise, set out together to make their way in the world. They come upon a house of robbers in the woods and, by confronting and frightening them, gain the house for themselves and live together happily for the rest of their lives. The climax of the story, in which the robbers read their own fears into the animals' behavior and run away, brings a satisfying return f...more
Oct 19, 2011
Ginta Harrigan
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
traditional-literature
“The Bremen Town Musicians” is a Grimm fairytale. It is the story of a donkey, dog, cat, and rooster who leave their respective homes because their masters are planning to kill them.
The story is a fairytale complete with traditional characters (heroes and rivals); plot (main characters have a dilemma they subsequently resolve); motif (villain and a house); and contrast (the animals are brave, the robbers are not).
Characters – The animals showed courage in not cowering from the robber when he ent...more
The story is a fairytale complete with traditional characters (heroes and rivals); plot (main characters have a dilemma they subsequently resolve); motif (villain and a house); and contrast (the animals are brave, the robbers are not).
Characters – The animals showed courage in not cowering from the robber when he ent...more
I think I actually read this in an English translation of the collections of the Brothers Grimm, or in one of the (color) Fairy Books. What I did NOT read was an illustrated version, so I can't speak to the quality of the illustrations in this edition.
The story of the Bremen Town Musicians is a perennial favorite. The discarded older animals make their own way in the world by cleverness and companionship. One point too many people seem to miss: the Bremen Town Musicians are convinced of their ow...more
The story of the Bremen Town Musicians is a perennial favorite. The discarded older animals make their own way in the world by cleverness and companionship. One point too many people seem to miss: the Bremen Town Musicians are convinced of their ow...more
The illustrations and text aren't very compelling, and neither my nieces nor I are very interested in this book. We'll swap it away soon.
Apr 17, 2013
Eric Summers
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
animals,
cats,
chickens,
fairy-tale,
folklore,
foxes,
picture-book,
first-grade,
second-graders
This is an old Brother's Grimm tale which is why it is so well known. It does not hold up well over time. The story is simple, the illustrations in this version are unexciting, and there is no humor or lessons to be learned by reading it. I can see no use for this book in the modern classroom, especially since the "musicians" attack another group of animals that they just assume are robbers and then happily take over their house from then on.
De los hermanos Grimm ... un cuento que habla de vencer el miedo, de no dejarse y encontrar amigos, (así era antes, y así es ahora) ... sacar las mejores características de cada uno ... trabajar en equipo ... apreciar, querer y respetar a los demás. Como en los demás cuentos, se trata de enseñanzas morales por medio de cuentos. Me siguen gustando mucho y ojalá que todos los niños y los no tan niños las lean.
Jan 09, 2011
Dolly
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
parents reading with their children
Classic fairy tale by the Brothers Grimm, retold and illustrated by Ilse Plume. We enjoyed this version of the tale and we compared it to a book we read recently with a very different version: Animal Crackers Fly the Coop by Kevin O'Malley. This is a good book, but I recommend that it be read to children ages 5 and over as there are several scenes and parts of the narrative that discuss the animals about to be killed by their owners. It's not too scary, but even our girls shuddered when we talke...more
I liked my russian version better. This one was not only oddly translated to unlikable state, but also changed. I still remember this story thou, from my childhood, they had movie and audio casette, but there they also had human with them. I still can recite the songs they sang in my head. "Ничего на свете лудше нееееету, чем бродить друзьям по белому свеееету!" Ok now I will cry in the corner!
Not one of Zwerger's best titles, but nonetheless an engaging and beautiful book. The rendering of the animals is especially well executed: Each beast looks to have seen better days, but Zwerger is able to show there's still the spark of life (and later mischief) beneath the mange.
Dec 09, 2009
Carol
rated it
5 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
traditional-literature
Grades Pre-k -3
This tale of friendship, ingenuity and perseverence is illustrated with muted but full-color pencil drawings that bring the text to life. Each full-page illustration is opposite a short page of text that is mostly white space with yellow borders.
The text itself is more appropriate as a read-aloud for younger children, although it can be read silently in intermediate grades. The pace is fast-moving and the details are minimal. Children will enjoy the outcome of the "good vs. evil"...more
This tale of friendship, ingenuity and perseverence is illustrated with muted but full-color pencil drawings that bring the text to life. Each full-page illustration is opposite a short page of text that is mostly white space with yellow borders.
The text itself is more appropriate as a read-aloud for younger children, although it can be read silently in intermediate grades. The pace is fast-moving and the details are minimal. Children will enjoy the outcome of the "good vs. evil"...more
CIP: "While on their way to Bremen, four aging animals who are no longer of any use to their masters find a new home after outwitting a gang of robbers."
A small group of barnyard animals join together after being cast away by their owners with the hopes of making a future as a band of musicians, with unpredictable results. The message of perseverance is subtle but important, and fact that the animals are being cast away by their owners can lead to interesting conversations with youngsters about...more
A small group of barnyard animals join together after being cast away by their owners with the hopes of making a future as a band of musicians, with unpredictable results. The message of perseverance is subtle but important, and fact that the animals are being cast away by their owners can lead to interesting conversations with youngsters about...more
Mar 19, 2009
Stephanie
rated it
4 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
folk-and-fairy-tales
I still can't quite grasp why my students love this story so. Just like last year, it was a big hit. It seems they really draw out the comedy which is funny since when I read it for Folk & Fairy Tale class, I thought it was boring.
The Bremen-town Musicians is a good book for children ages 5-8. Ruth Gross does a good job retelling the tale and Jack Kent's illustrations help tell the story as well. He uses bright cartoon characteristic pictures. This is a great book to start children out on Folklore. Four abandoned/runaway animals gather together to become musicians to get away from their terrible homes. When they come acrossed a house, a robber hide out in the woods, they take over. Leaving the old robbers frightened. The...more
Although the description of this book shows that it won a Caldecott Award, that is incorrect. The edition that won the Caldecott was published in 1980 and illustrated by Ilse Plume.
beautiful pictures
a retelling of a story of finding ones place, and finding a family to belong to
a retelling of a story of finding ones place, and finding a family to belong to
Come on: who doesn't like a story about a random group of animals taking out the bad guys?
Old donkey, cat, dog, and a rooster get together and decide live their masters, before they throw them out, to become musicians. Their plan was to go the town Bremen, but on the way there they scare the thieves away from the house they were rubbing. The thieves came back, but all of them made scary noise again so thieves run away fast and promise never come back. Our friends stayed there together and took care of each other. I love that story, even though it is retold it is still close to the ve...more
I remember reading this in third grade. It was okay.
the story of finding your place,and being part of a family
Ich muss leider sagen dass ich ein bisschen entäuscht von dieser Geschichte bin, da sie meine Vorstellung nicht getroffen hat. Zu viel Gewalt wurde in der Geschichte abgebildet und es war meiner Meinung nach schon fast übel. Aber die Geschichte ist nicht ohne. Sie hat erfolgreich dargestellt, wie Menschen sehr fähig sind, von ihrem richtigen Ziel im Leben sehr einfach ablenken zu lassen. Am Ende sind viele Leute zufrieden mit was sie zur Zeit in Händen haben und vergessen ganz was sie vorhin ang...more
My first book <3
The donkey, dog, cat, and rooster each leave their homes because they are old and their masters are planning to kill them. On their way to Bremen-town, they find a house full of robbers. They scare away the robbers and eat the food. They scare away the robbers a second time. The robbers decide the house is guarded by a witch, a bandit, a monster, and a judge who yelled "catch the crook do" (rooster). The title's kind of a misnomer. They don't really sing and they never get to Bremen-town.
Every time I seen a new Lisbeth Zwerger book I know I'm in store for such a visual treat and this is no exception. It's another beautiful reinvention of a classic story full of gorgeous color, exciting compositions and unique details. Her pictures are so light and delicate but she always embraces the darker sides of her tales which gives the illustrations such a unusual and particular depth. I particularly liked the sequences of the animals' grim imagined fates before they hit the road.
This retelling of the classic folktale finds four animals who come together after their masters force them out of their homes. The art is a stylized painterly technique and it shows key scenes from the animals’ previous lives and their new lives together. For use with children, I think it would be good to do a simple animal craft or even have them make their own music as it is such a central theme.
"The Bremen-town Musicians" is a kindergarten level reading book. It is a fun and exciting book about a donkey, a dog, a cat, and a roster, who all escape from their owners. All four animals set off on a journey to be Bremen-town musicians. When they come to a house, which is occupied by robbers they team up and scare the robbers off. I would use this story to show how teamwork really works.
Nov 01, 2012
Paul
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
childrens-lit,
caldecott
This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it,
click here.
I remember being told this folktale as a young child. Haven't had the opportunity to read the book myself until now. Absolutely loved it! Wasn't sure if the story would hold up now that I'm an adult, but it sure did. Enjoyed the author's choice of words like "red-comb, whisker-face, and long-ears." One of my favorites!
Traditional Literature
Caldecott
(1 point)
Traditional Literature
Caldecott
(1 point)
Feb 15, 2011
Kirei
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Shelves:
younger-kids,
older-kids
This book is good enough, but nothing special. It may be a little violent for really young kids. (Such as talk of drowning the cat because she is old to catch mice, or cooking and eating the cock because he is too old to crow.)
I am pleased we read this book because I think maybe my son has never heard this famous tale before!
I am pleased we read this book because I think maybe my son has never heard this famous tale before!
Hah! The famous story of the Bremer Stadtmusikanten in Chinese, how cool is that?! I bought it on a trip to Bremen and did indeed read it. The translation is truly nice and it's quite easy to understand and even guess the words one is not familiar with. The drawings by Janosch are also very nice and funny.
This book is about animals that work together to accomplish one goal. All of the animals come together to spy on and scare away the robbers. This book is about teamwork and the animals working together.
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Jacob Ludwig Karl Grimm, German philologist, jurist and mythologist, was born at Hanau, in Hesse-Kassel (or Hesse-Cassel). He is best known as the discoverer of Grimm's Law, the author of the monumental German Dictionary, his Deutsche Mythologie and more popularly, with his brother Wilhelm, as one of the Brothers Grimm, as the editor of Grimm's Fairy Tales.
(From Wikipedia.)
More about Jacob Grimm...
(From Wikipedia.)
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updated Nov 25, 2011 03:36pm