The Pied Piper of Hamelin

by Sara Corrin, Stephen Corrin, Errol Le Cain (Illustrator)

The Pied Piper pipes the village free of rats, and when the villagers refuse to pay him for the service he exacts a terrible revenge.

Genres: Picture Books, Fairy Tales, Fiction, Childrens, Classics

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1988

About the author

Sara Corrin is a published author, editor, and a translator of children's books. Some of the published credits of Sara Corrin include Tales from Hans Andersen: Fourteen Classic Tales, Shocking Accident, A Shocking Accident, and Faber Book of Golden Fairytales.

Reviews

[Abigail]

Prompted by a recent discussion in a Children's Books group I moderate, I have been taking down the various picture-book adaptations of the legend of The Pied Piper of Hamelin in my collection, and rereading them. I began, naturally enough, with a title that took Robert Browning's classic poem as its text, and realized that it was the story which captured my imagination, not the poem.

Sara and Stephen Corrin's prose retelling, paired with Errol le Cain's marvelous illustrations, is much more to my taste, and is fairly evenly tied with the Robert Holden/Drahos Zak version as my favorite. The tale of the foolish mayor and citizens of Hamelin (Hameln), who refuse to keep their word to the mysterious Piper who rids their city of a plague of rats, it has an almost biblical quality that makes for a most memorable story.

The Corrin's narrative flows well and is engaging. Le Cain's artwork, which has always reminded me of some of the great Golden Age illustrators, has a stylized medieval aesthetic; reddish, earthy tones which suit the tale; and numerous expressive details, especially in the many faces. Well worth the time of any reader interested in this story!

[Lisa Vegan]

This edition is luxuriantly illustrated and the style of the paintings fit this story perfectly. The infestation of rats is shown and did make me a tad squeamish, especially coming from a port city where rats are plentiful, yet luckily usually out of sight.

The tale as told by the Corrins is written in an interesting and compelling way. I really love this version.

I had thought maybe I’d grown up with the Browning poem version of this story, but now I think I probably knew the Grimm Brothers version. I believe I also had/have an old children’s record with a song about the Pied Piper of Hamelin that contributed to capturing my attention.

I was fascinated by this story when I was as young as four years old, and it’s always been one of the old stories that I’ve found most captivating.

I am so glad, thanks to Abigail, that I read this particular book. It’s a fabulous version of this tale.

I also really appreciated that the authors included a “What really happened?” note at the end of the book, which offers various conjectures about how this legend may have started. I’m very curious about that and their notes furthered my thinking about the matter.

[Mir]

These aren't my favorite of Le Cain's illustrations, but they absolutely fit the creepy story of masses of aggressive rats and lost children. Yuck.

[Noninuna]

When I heard people said, "The Pied Piper of Hamelin", I wondered if it's the same story of Pied Piper that I'm familiar with. So I seek it out and found this stunning picture book. All that I could say, it is the same story with a little history fact at the back, which I really appreciate. One of those book that I would recommend to read out loud with your children while admiring the illustrations!

[Jayma DeLancey]

Traditional Fantasy
5th-6th grade
I was so engaged while reading this book. The illustrations are like no other book I have read so far, some of the characters portrayed are a bit scary looking! I love how you can not (or at least I was unable to predict the ending). What I thought was going to happen did not! This is a story I had never heard of, but I am super glad I got to read it! I think excelled learners would love this book, as it will expand their vocabulary with the words used in this book.

[Hhcall]

The Pied Piper of Hamelin is a dark and sad story based on true events of 130 children who disappeared from Hamelin, Germany in 1284. In this story the piper leads the children away from the village when the king refuses to pay him for doing away with the town’s rat infestation. I’ve always been intrigued by this story and the underlying symbolism. This is a great book to explore with its well written text and it’s beautiful illustrations.

[Rodopa]

Really great retelling of the story, with lots of detail, and wonderful illustration. My kindergartner was enthralled in the story. Great pace of the events, and a thrill ride of peaks and valleys in the story. Simply wonderful.

[Jayme]

Beautifully illustrated but as the text itself admits, Browning is the better English translation of the German legend.

[Amy]

This book has wonderful illustrations, but the best part is the ending when it tells the REAL story. Apparently, the German town of Hameln lost 130 of its children. To war? Kidnapped? To disease? Nobody knows...

This version uses words like "oddsbodiken" so it is definitely not dumbed down.

[Lindsey]

Beautifully illustrated. The text is clear and easy to read aloud or silently. The authors' note in the back is a nice addition, explaining likely origins of this fairy tale. Recommended to fairy tale fans who appreciate complex, detailed illustrations.

[Bettie]

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