The Pied Piper's Magic
Kindergarten-Grade 3—This peppy new rendition bears little resemblance to the original legend. The story focuses on Peterkin, a happy elf who stumbles upon a gloomy retired witch named Elbavol. His attempts to cheer her fail, but she sends him off with a magic pipe, which plays the sound of letters. Spelling a word calls it forth, and reversing the letters changes it into something else. So when Peterkin comes to a city plagued by rats and run by a cruel Grand Duke, he uses his pipe to call up the rats and then changes them into stars. However, he still must claim his reward from the Duke. Clever readers may guess the mystery behind Elbavol's name before Peterkin does. This story does not have the haunting, thought-provoking qualities of the legend, nor is it very scary—even the rats are cute. Bright cartoon illustrations in sunshine yellows burst with colorful hearts, flowers, and rainbows except for in the contrasting dark, decrepit areas surrounding Elbavol. Children will enjoy this story without knowing the original tale, but to know only this version would be a shame.—Julie Roach, Cambridge Public Library, MACopyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.