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Pied Piper (English/Russian)
Rats! Big rats, small rats, young rats and old rats! Enter a mysterious stranger... Roland Dry]s beautiful paintings capture the authentic atmosphere of time and place. In Vietnamese/English. Annotation copyright Tsai Fong Books, Inc. Distributed by Tsai Fong Books, Inc.
32 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2002
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
October 30, 2013
Barkow retells this traditional tale without any loss of moral thought from the original story many of us are familiar with. When the town of Hamelin is infested with an unprecedented number of rats, the people demand that the mayor acts to rid them of their upset. At the moment the mayor exclaims he is not a rat catcher, the Pied Piper approaches and promises to assist the town for a fee. The mayor agrees to pay if the rats are dealt with and the Pied Piper gets to work.
On the Pied Piper’s success, the mayor refuses to pay. The Pied Piper warns the mayor that he will bring greater suffering to the town if he doesn’t pay, and as the town folk stand idly by, the mayor refuses to pay once again. The Pied Piper keeps his promise and leads all but one of the town’s children into a cave, never to be seen again.
This tale serves well in giving food-for-thought on several ideas on morality – children can learn about the consequences of lying, not keeping your word and deceit & deception. In contrast, however, it also deals with helping people in need, the joy that children bring and the power of music.
I would recommend this tale to children in upper KS1. It would do well if being read to the class, and Roland Dry’s illustrations could be incorporated in group discussions to follow. The edition that I have read is dual language (English/Gujarati), which could help in the linguistic and social development of children in the early stages of learning English. The dual language aspect of the Barkow text, which is available in 22 languages with English, also makes this book accessible to a much wider audience and therefore has a further relevance in the modern classroom.
On the Pied Piper’s success, the mayor refuses to pay. The Pied Piper warns the mayor that he will bring greater suffering to the town if he doesn’t pay, and as the town folk stand idly by, the mayor refuses to pay once again. The Pied Piper keeps his promise and leads all but one of the town’s children into a cave, never to be seen again.
This tale serves well in giving food-for-thought on several ideas on morality – children can learn about the consequences of lying, not keeping your word and deceit & deception. In contrast, however, it also deals with helping people in need, the joy that children bring and the power of music.
I would recommend this tale to children in upper KS1. It would do well if being read to the class, and Roland Dry’s illustrations could be incorporated in group discussions to follow. The edition that I have read is dual language (English/Gujarati), which could help in the linguistic and social development of children in the early stages of learning English. The dual language aspect of the Barkow text, which is available in 22 languages with English, also makes this book accessible to a much wider audience and therefore has a further relevance in the modern classroom.
December 27, 2021
عُشر نجمة كثيرة على هذه المهزلة
ترجمة أرك من ركيكة، أخطاء في الكتابة بالعشرات، واضح أن النص لم يقرأ ولم يحرر ولو لمرة واحدة وإلا فإن من قرؤوه وحرروه عميان لا يرون الأخطاء الفادحة
مهزلة
أصلا عنوان الكتاب المترجم للعربية مضحك ولا معنى له!
أما بالنسبة للقصة الأصلية فهي معروفة ومن الناحية التربوية فهي سيئة.
ترجمة أرك من ركيكة، أخطاء في الكتابة بالعشرات، واضح أن النص لم يقرأ ولم يحرر ولو لمرة واحدة وإلا فإن من قرؤوه وحرروه عميان لا يرون الأخطاء الفادحة
مهزلة
أصلا عنوان الكتاب المترجم للعربية مضحك ولا معنى له!
أما بالنسبة للقصة الأصلية فهي معروفة ومن الناحية التربوية فهي سيئة.
November 8, 2019
A town is being overrun by rats, big and small, young and old! Until a mysterious stranger appears... The classic Pied Piper tale is retold with drama and music, and also raises some important moral and social issues. The beautiful painting illustrations capture an authentic feel of the period.
September 8, 2013
The Pied Piper of Hamelin is a classic fairy tale which originates on events that took place in the German village of Hamelin in 1284. The story is a very familiar one and begins to unfold when the village of Hamelin is plagued by rats. The villagers march to the town hall and demand that the major must act immediately. He demands that he is not a rat catcher, which angers the villagers. However, a stranger appears wearing the most unusual clothes clasping a pipe in his hand. Perhaps he can help the major and the village of Hamelin by resolving the rodent infestation. The community simply stare at him in bewilderment but this doesn't stop him in his tracks. He approaches the major and introduces himself “They call me the Pied Piper and if you pay me twenty pieces of gold I will take all your rats away.” The major was ecstatic when he heard this and immediately agreed.
Off he went and the music began and to the villagers disbelief the rodents began to appear out of every nook and cranny in Hamelin. They poured out onto the streets under the spell of the music and followed him. They followed the piper out of the village and headed towards the river Weser. The Pied Piper had a cunning plan, he changed the tune on his pipe and the villagers watched in disbelief as the rats threw themselves into the icy river and drowned.
The Piper then went back to the town hall to meet with the major for the second time. He demanded his pieces of gold that he’d been promised for resolving the rodent infestation. Surprisingly, the major refused and the community of Hamelin agreed with him. The piper then sought revenge on the villagers of Hamelin. Ultimately the major was left in despair as the consequences of his decision making were very severe.
I feel this book is a joy to read as it’s nostalgic and reminds me of childhood, everyone knows the story of the Pied Piper. The particular version of the story that I chose was written in two languages, English and French. Therefore, it would be suitable for pupils with English as an Additional Language (EAL) and could be used in the classroom in this context. This feature may help pupils engage and identify with the story further. If a lack of understanding still remained, an additional feature is the word bank displayed at the back of the book which includes all the relevant key words that link the story together. The word bank could help them to extend their vocabulary and understanding and ultimately boost their confidence levels. The book could be placed on a classroom bookshelf for independent reading for more able pupils or alternatively be read aloud during a carpet time session. I feel that it’s suitable for a wide audience ranging from Early Year’s Foundation Stage right through to the earlier years of Key Stage Two.
The context of the story and how it unfolds may perhaps be linked into the curriculum in regards to history, creative writing and music. Pupils may be asked to write their own traditional fairy tale which would link directly to a creative writing task in English. A further link could be incorporated into a music lesson with pupils being asked to musically recreate the tunes the Piper played when resolving the rodent infestation in Hamelin. It would be both engaging, interactive and educational.
I think that it’s a great traditional tale which I’d definitely want on my classroom bookshelf!
Off he went and the music began and to the villagers disbelief the rodents began to appear out of every nook and cranny in Hamelin. They poured out onto the streets under the spell of the music and followed him. They followed the piper out of the village and headed towards the river Weser. The Pied Piper had a cunning plan, he changed the tune on his pipe and the villagers watched in disbelief as the rats threw themselves into the icy river and drowned.
The Piper then went back to the town hall to meet with the major for the second time. He demanded his pieces of gold that he’d been promised for resolving the rodent infestation. Surprisingly, the major refused and the community of Hamelin agreed with him. The piper then sought revenge on the villagers of Hamelin. Ultimately the major was left in despair as the consequences of his decision making were very severe.
I feel this book is a joy to read as it’s nostalgic and reminds me of childhood, everyone knows the story of the Pied Piper. The particular version of the story that I chose was written in two languages, English and French. Therefore, it would be suitable for pupils with English as an Additional Language (EAL) and could be used in the classroom in this context. This feature may help pupils engage and identify with the story further. If a lack of understanding still remained, an additional feature is the word bank displayed at the back of the book which includes all the relevant key words that link the story together. The word bank could help them to extend their vocabulary and understanding and ultimately boost their confidence levels. The book could be placed on a classroom bookshelf for independent reading for more able pupils or alternatively be read aloud during a carpet time session. I feel that it’s suitable for a wide audience ranging from Early Year’s Foundation Stage right through to the earlier years of Key Stage Two.
The context of the story and how it unfolds may perhaps be linked into the curriculum in regards to history, creative writing and music. Pupils may be asked to write their own traditional fairy tale which would link directly to a creative writing task in English. A further link could be incorporated into a music lesson with pupils being asked to musically recreate the tunes the Piper played when resolving the rodent infestation in Hamelin. It would be both engaging, interactive and educational.
I think that it’s a great traditional tale which I’d definitely want on my classroom bookshelf!
October 26, 2013
The village of Hamelin was infested with all kinds of rats and the villagers marched into the town hall and demanded that the mayor do something. But he told them that he was not a rat catcher. Suddenly they saw a stranger, wearing the most unusual clothes and the villagers glared at him. The stranger approached the mayor and introduced himself ''They call me the Pied Piper and if you pay me twenty pieces of gold I will take all your rats away.'' This sounded like music to the mayor's ears and he got very excited. The Pied Piper started playing his music and all the rats disappeared into the river and drowned. But when he demanded to be paid, the greedy mayor did not keep his promise, also the villagers did not show any concern for the Pied Piper. The Pied Piper revenged against the villagers and used his magical pipe to take their children away and they never saw them again.
I like this story because the lesson behind it is about keeping our promises, it has good pictures that would help pupils engage during reading. This book is suitable for KS1 and KS2, it is also written in other languages which could be used to support children with EAL. This book can be used to read to a class, for independent reading, to inspire creative writing and for curriculum support in regards to creative writing, music, history and art.
I like this story because the lesson behind it is about keeping our promises, it has good pictures that would help pupils engage during reading. This book is suitable for KS1 and KS2, it is also written in other languages which could be used to support children with EAL. This book can be used to read to a class, for independent reading, to inspire creative writing and for curriculum support in regards to creative writing, music, history and art.
October 16, 2012
An odd story based on a legend dated back to 1284 but the moral behind it is that we should keep our promises. The rats had infested the town and the people were frustrated. They asked the mayor to do something about it but he never did. Then a stranger arrived and played a magical tune which the rats followed. The mayor had promised to give the stranger gold but didn't keep his word. The pied piper threatened the mayor to pay up or the town would be sorry. The pied piper got his revenge as all the children vanished too, never to be seen again.
The story talks of death and descriptive use of words such as 'mournful wailing' is unsuitable for early years children. The concepts of the story could be overwhelming for nursery and reception, perhaps even year 1 children.
There is a list of key words at the back of the book and also further activity on the town of Hameln.
I feel this book is more suitable for key stage 1 and also 2 as the story is complex as are the words and language. The Urdu translation is precise and key words are also translated. However children could learn values of honesty and extend learning through creative writing. Symbolic use of the Urdu translation can lead to other learning opportunities.
The story talks of death and descriptive use of words such as 'mournful wailing' is unsuitable for early years children. The concepts of the story could be overwhelming for nursery and reception, perhaps even year 1 children.
There is a list of key words at the back of the book and also further activity on the town of Hameln.
I feel this book is more suitable for key stage 1 and also 2 as the story is complex as are the words and language. The Urdu translation is precise and key words are also translated. However children could learn values of honesty and extend learning through creative writing. Symbolic use of the Urdu translation can lead to other learning opportunities.
September 27, 2014
it's about not only we should keep our promises but we must stood up for the right and choosing to be slient result in a short or long term effect on us too
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews