Brundibar - Hardcover

Sendak, Maurice And Kushner, Tony

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 1844280284 ISBN 13: 9781844280285

Publisher: Walker Books, 2004

Synopsis

When Aninku and Pepicek go to town for milk to make their sick mother better, their attempts to earn money by singing are thwarted by a bullying hurdy-gurdy grinder, Brundibar. But with the help of three talking animals and three hundred schoolchildren, Aninku and Pepicek defeat the bully and return home triumphant. The story is based on a Czech opera performed numerous times by the children of the Nazi concentration camp Terezin.

About this title

Review:

Based on a Czech opera that was performed 55 times by children in Terezin, a Nazi concentration camp, Brundibar is an odd, urgent little tale of a brother and sister who are desperately trying to get their hands on some milk for their sick mother. They race to the village center, only to discover that they need money to buy milk. Unfortunately, all the money in town seems to be going to the nefarious hurdy-gurdy man, Brundibar. Enter three talking animals and 300 willing children (bearing balloons stating "WE DON’T MIND SKIPPING SCHOOL"), and things start looking up for little Aninku and Pepicek. Retold by playwright Tony Kushner and illustrated by Caldecott Medal recipient Maurice Sendak, this operatic story is just nutty enough to become a favorite for open-minded young readers. Sendak fans will smile to see the village baker, who bears a striking resemblance to the baker in Sendak's In the Night Kitchen. His chaotic, jam-packed illustrations reveal witty little subplots to the libretto text (written all in upper case), which sharp-eyed readers will enjoy discovering. (Ages 5 to 8) --Emilie Coulter

About the Author:

Tony Kushner wrote the libretto for the opera which was performed in 2003 at Chicago Opera Theater; directed and designed by Sendak. Legendary picture-book maker, among whose most celebrated titles is the 1964 Caldecott Honor-winning Where the Wild Things Are.

About this edition

• Publisher: Walker Books
• Publication date: 2004
• ISBN 10: 1844280284
• ISBN 13: 9781844280285
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 54