The Pied Piper of Hamelin
Publisher: Walker Books
Morpurgo elaborates on the traditional 13th-century tale of the Pied Piper who is denied payment for ridding the corrupt and uncaring citizens of Hamelin of a plague of rats. In retaliation he lures all the children into a cave in the mountains through his hypnotic piping.
This version is seen through the eyes of the disabled boy who escapes, and Morpurgo has the Piper instruct the boy that if in a year the town is cleaned up, and the poor cared for, he will release the children.
Clark follows in an illustrious tradition of Pied Piper illustration, creating a 19th-century setting, the text bordered by Victorian motifs and interspersed by full picture spreads. Together they offer a 21st-century classic.
