The Bourbon Street Musicians - Hardcover

Price, Kathy; Glass, Andrew

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0618040765 ISBN 13: 9780618040766

Publisher: Clarion Books, 2002

Synopsis

In this rollicking retelling of ?The Bremen Town Musicians,” a creaky old jack mule, a droopy hound dog, a ragged rooster, and a bony cat, all unwanted and no longer loved, set out for Bourbon Street in New Orleans to play bebop and make their fortune. Presently they encounter a band of thieves in a shack by a bayou, and though things don’t turn out quite as expected, they end up mighty fine just the same. A bluesy dialect that begs to be read aloud, vivid imagery, and distinctively comic illustrations infuse the adventures of these four determined friends with the flavor of rural Louisiana and the rhythm of New Orleans jazz. Glossary.

About this title

About the Author

Kathy Price is a storyteller, published poet, musician, and early music specialist who runs workshops for young children with a focus on Afro- Caribbean and black southern folklore. She lives in New York City.

Andrew Glass has illustrated many stories for children, among them Crabby Cratchitt and The Tale of Willie Monroe. His latest is Mountain Men: True Grit and Tall Tales (Doubleday), one of several books he has written and illustrated about the American frontier.

From Publishers Weekly

First-time author Price spices up a standard with her Cajun-flavored take on The Bremen Town Musicians. "Come first cockcrow tomorrow, we boils your hooves for backfat and for soap!" a farmer tells his mule. Glass's (The Legend of Strap Buckner: A Texas Tale) signature illustrations depict the craggy creature in a clumsy gallop toward New Orleans and freedom; the mule's bulging ribs, prickly coat and knobby knees stand out against a crisp white background. Soon, the fellow meets an old bloodhound, an aging rooster and a decrepit cat, all about to be killed by their owners. The somewhat belabored encounters end with the mule convincing each animal to join his band, and a kind of refrain follows: "Sho' nuff?" they each ask; "As grass is green, sho' nuff," answers the mule. In this faithful retelling, the group comes upon a hideout, but the thieves here feast upon "gumbo ya-ya, couche-couche... [and] a jug of wild persimmon brew" and flee when the animals sing for their supper. Glass uses a series of vignettes drawn diagonally across a spread to trace the path of the ringleader as he diminishes in size when confronted by the cat, bitten by the hound and kicked by the mule and sent soaring off the page. Safe at last, the animals abandon their Bourbon Street dream and settle in. While the banter is verbose, Price crafts a rollicking narrative with a Southern twang that trips off the tongue, and Glass comes up with some memorable characters. Ages 5-8
Copyright 2002 Cahners Business Information, Inc.

About this edition

• Publisher: Clarion Books
• Publication date: 2002
• ISBN 10: 0618040765
• ISBN 13: 9780618040766
• Binding: Hardcover
• Edition number: 1
• Number of pages: 40