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The Hero of Bremen
A retelling of a German folktale follows poor Hans, who cannot walk, as he becomes a pawn in the political machinations of the rich countess Emma and her nephew
- GenresPicture BooksFiction
32 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 1993
About the author
Margaret Hodges
72 books56 followersMargaret "Peggy" Hodges was an American writer of books for children.
She was born Sarah Margaret Moore in Indianapolis, Indiana to Arthur Carlisle and Annie Marie Moore. She enrolled at Tudor Hall, a college preparatory school for girls. A 1932 graduate of Vassar College, she arrived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her husband Fletcher Hodges Jr. when in 1937 he became curator at the Stephen Foster Memorial. She trained as a librarian at Carnegie Institute of Technology, now Carnegie Mellon University, under Elizabeth Nesbitt, and she volunteered as a storyteller at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Beginning in 1958 with One Little Drum, she wrote and published more than 40 books.
Her 1985 book Saint George and the Dragon, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman, won the Caldecott Medal of the American Library Association.
She was a professor of library science at the University of Pittsburgh, where she retired in 1976.
Hodges died of heart disease on December 13, 2005 at her home in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. She suffered from Parkinson's disease.
She wrote her stories on a notepad or a typewriter. "I need good ideas, and they don't come out of machines," she once said.
She was born Sarah Margaret Moore in Indianapolis, Indiana to Arthur Carlisle and Annie Marie Moore. She enrolled at Tudor Hall, a college preparatory school for girls. A 1932 graduate of Vassar College, she arrived in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania with her husband Fletcher Hodges Jr. when in 1937 he became curator at the Stephen Foster Memorial. She trained as a librarian at Carnegie Institute of Technology, now Carnegie Mellon University, under Elizabeth Nesbitt, and she volunteered as a storyteller at the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh. Beginning in 1958 with One Little Drum, she wrote and published more than 40 books.
Her 1985 book Saint George and the Dragon, illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman, won the Caldecott Medal of the American Library Association.
She was a professor of library science at the University of Pittsburgh, where she retired in 1976.
Hodges died of heart disease on December 13, 2005 at her home in Oakmont, Pennsylvania. She suffered from Parkinson's disease.
She wrote her stories on a notepad or a typewriter. "I need good ideas, and they don't come out of machines," she once said.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
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June 13, 2024I had not read this legend before, but it was a nice one to read together with my 11 yr old who wasn't feeling well. He figured out what was going to happen when the Countess' nephew made the deal. It was sad, but also sweet, about a kind-hearted, crippled man.
October 27, 2023
This was an excellent story of an unlikely hero. My son went from distracted to captivated as he waited to see what would happen to the Cobbler. We loved it!
May 27, 2018
Thank you GR Michael for alerting me to the art of Charles Mikolaycak; his work does indeed compare favorably to that of Trina Schart Hyman.
And I do take myself to task for not finding this earlier, given how much I love Hodges' Saint George and the Dragon.
And I do appreciate the author's note, explaining how she collated/adapted three different sources.
And of course I appreciate the theme that a 'cripple' and a small child can be heroes.
However, the story itself did nothing for me. I am not spiritual, nor do I tend to experience meaningful hallucinations, so I can't enjoy the part Roland played in the story. And there's something else that I can't pin down that I find unsatisfying. Maybe it's that it's a wordy retelling - not much goes on despite the use of quite a few words....
(btw, this has nothing to do with those animal musicians of Bremen, except maybe the fact that some versions of that more famous tale had also been considered worthless/ disposable)
And I do take myself to task for not finding this earlier, given how much I love Hodges' Saint George and the Dragon.
And I do appreciate the author's note, explaining how she collated/adapted three different sources.
And of course I appreciate the theme that a 'cripple' and a small child can be heroes.
However, the story itself did nothing for me. I am not spiritual, nor do I tend to experience meaningful hallucinations, so I can't enjoy the part Roland played in the story. And there's something else that I can't pin down that I find unsatisfying. Maybe it's that it's a wordy retelling - not much goes on despite the use of quite a few words....
(btw, this has nothing to do with those animal musicians of Bremen, except maybe the fact that some versions of that more famous tale had also been considered worthless/ disposable)
June 19, 2009
I am not a fan of Margaret Hodges' style of retelling stories, but I saw this at a book sale and picked it up because I like the original German legend that it is from.
Unfortunately, this retelling did not give the story its usual sense of miraculous wonder.
Intended for grades 3-6.
Unfortunately, this retelling did not give the story its usual sense of miraculous wonder.
Intended for grades 3-6.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews