#410 of 1001 · September 14, 2021

Pied Piper Week marches onward, and here we have a fascinating version with original French text by Marine Tasso (translated into English by Noelia Hobeika) and illustrated by Thomas Baas. Tasso retells the tale in simple and powerful language, beginning with a description of the town before the onset of the rat plague. Baas renders the story world in a restricted color palette, with bold, graphic swaths of black, white, red, and a soft, cyan-tinged gray; despite the tale’s medieval setting, he depicts the quirky, expressive characters with twentieth-century clothing and accessories, as well as a bit of electric technology. A note for folklore enthusiasts: though the legend as recorded by the Brothers Grimm sets the date of the children’s disappearance on June 26th, 1284, Tasso moves the setting earlier to the Christmas holiday of 1283. #piper #rat #rats #child #children #german #germany #book #books #childrensbooks #beautifulbook #beautifulbooks #picturebook #picturebooks #picturebookillustration #picturebookart #childrensbookillustration #childrensliterature #illustration #kidlit #kidsbooks #bookworm #booklover #booklovers #bibliophile #bookstagram #bookstagrammer #bookstagrammers #instabook #instabooks