Pied Piper of Hamelin In the town of Hamelin, the rich and greedy live like kings and queens while the poor and sick scavenge rubbish tips for scraps. A lame orphan boy tells the classic tale of how a plague of rats take over the town and how a fantastic piper offers to rid Hamelin of its rats for a single gold coin, then lures away the town’s children when the greedy mayor breaks his word. Masterfully weaving contemporary social and environmental themes into a gripping tale, and celebrating it with breathtaking illustrations, former British Children’s Laureate Michael Morpurgo and illustrator Emma Chichester Clark team up to create a compelling new take on this timeless story.
The Pied Piper “None of us could take our eyes off him. This man was long and lanky, with a sharply pointed nose, and darting, twinkling eyes that flickered around the chamber. He was so light and nimble on his feet that it seemed as if he was walking on air. And his clothes! You should have seen his clothes! He was dressed in a costume of brightly coloured checks and patterns, with a hat on his head that had an enormous brim shading his eyes. He looked like some kind of court jester, or a travelling player maybe. All I knew was that whatever he was, he was wonderfully weird.�
The Pied Piper “None of us could take our eyes off him. This man was long and lanky, with a sharply pointed nose, and darting, twinkling eyes that flickered around the chamber. He was so light and nimble on his feet that it seemed as if he was walking on air. And his clothes! You should have seen his clothes! He was dressed in a costume of brightly coloured checks and patterns, with a hat on his head that had an enormous brim shading his eyes. He looked like some kind of court jester, or a travelling player maybe. All I knew was that whatever he was, he was wonderfully weird.�
The Pied Piper “I noticed then that around his neck, on a fine grey cord, there hung a silver flute. He walked right up to the mayor and stood before him, his face bathed in the light from the window, his silver flute flashing like lightning in the sun. He glanced down at me, and noticing my penny whistle, he smiled at me. A gentle, kindly smile it was, as from a fellow musician, one friend to another. But the smile was quickly gone, and he was suddenly serious again, his brow darkening as he turned his gaze on the counsellors all around him.�
Storytelling challenge... Can you use “show, not tell” to give the reader some information about a character? Choose one of the emotions below: ● happy ● excited ● nervous ● angry Can you think of something a character might do if they were feeling the emotion you’ve chosen? Working with a partner, describe your character’s actions and see if your partner can guess how they were feeling.