Monday, March 3, 2014

A new face on an old folktale


Quote of the day:

"The beautiful thing about writing is that you don't have to get it right the first time. unlike say, a brain surgeon."
                                              -Robert Cormier





Title:  The Sagebrush Singers
Author: Herbert Kernecker
Illustrator:  James Watt
Ages:  4-8

This fun book is based on the German folktale by the Brothers Grimm, "The Bremen Town Musicians."  A burro finds he's out of a job when his master buys a spiffy red truck and trucks all over the American southwest desert leaving the poor burro behind locked up in his pen. Feeling unwanted and of no earthly use he finally runs out of food and water. He escapes from his pen and starts off on a brand new adventure to become of all things ...  a singer.  As his journey to start a new life unfolds he meets other animals along the way who have the same feelings as he does.  He conscripts a coyote, a very frightened lost skunk and a raven to join him in a singing quartet.  Together this motley crew form a pack of misfits and miraculously they come to discover that they as a group all fit together very nicely.  Tired and hungry they stumble upon a group of animal rustlers and the clever group hatch an hilarious plan (masterminded by coyote) to get rid of the thieves. In so doing they carve out a place where they can stay and find contentment and sing into the desert wind and beyond.  The unique cartoonish illustrations, with a soft pallet of desert browns and subtle greens, add a perfect visual element to the story.  There is also a song that accompanies the book and it will surely be a great hit with the young reader.

                              For more information please go to www.sagebrushsingers.com




Book Review Rating:  7  (Interesting!)

Read on and read always!  Have an amazing day everyone.


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