When the town of Hamelin is overrun with hundreds of rats, a mysterious piper arrives to drive them away. But when the townspeople refuse to pay the Pied Piper for his work, he finds a shocking way of getting revenge.
Henriette Barkow's thoughtful retelling of this traditional German folktale makes the legend of Pied Piper accessible to readers of all ages. 'The Pied Piper' offers scope for introducing young children to more complex moral questions and for exploring the concepts of blame and responsibility. The Piper's terrible revenge emphasises the importance of fairness and honesty and the repercussions of not keeping our promises. It may also be relevant to Citizenship to consider the way the townspeople treat the Pied Piper. For example: what makes somebody a stranger? How should we interact with people who are different from us? How does it feel to be considered different?
