Stephen Corrin (1914–1998)

Prompted by a recent discussion in the Children's Books group I moderate on another site, I have been taking down the various picture-book adaptations of the legend of The Pied Piper of Hamelin in my collection, and rereading them. I began, naturally enough, with a title that took Robert Browning's classic poem as its text, and realized that it was the story which captured my imagination, not the poem.

Sara and Stephen Corrin's prose retelling, paired with Errol le Cain's marvelous show more illustrations, is much more to my taste, and is fairly evenly tied with the Robert Holden/Drahos Zak version as my favorite. The tale of the foolish mayor and citizens of Hamelin (Hameln), who refuse to keep their word to the mysterious Piper who rids their city of a plague of rats, it has an almost biblical quality that makes for a most memorable story.

The Corrin's narrative flows well and is engaging. Le Cain's artwork, which has always reminded me of some of the great Golden Age illustrators, has a stylized medieval aesthetic; reddish, earthy tones which suit the tale; and numerous expressive details, especially in the many faces. Well worth the time of any reader interested in this story! show less

'Stories for Under-Fives' brings together modern stories and folk tales from all over the world, full of the action and repetitive elements that very young children delight in. Here kittens learn to purr, a baby elephant finds a cool place on a hot summer day, and the Little Small Wee Tiny Man makes a friend his own size. These and twenty-three other tales of humour and discovery are enchanting young listeners.

Mrs. Fox is recently widowed. A wolf, a lion, a dog, a billy-goat, a stag, a bear, and finally a fox come calling as suitors. But she will only accept one with a coat of deep red and nine bushy tails (like her dead husband). The next day a fox with two bushy tails arrives, then the next one with three, until finally one with nine busy tails comes calling (one tail neatly braided into nine strands with little tails at the end) and then she is satisfied.

As she rejects suitor after suitor, the recently widowed Mrs. Fox almost despairs of finding a new husband with the same wonderful qualities as the late Mr. Fox. A combined retelling of the Grimms' two versions of this story.