Clemens Brentano (1778–1842)

A bit like [b:The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship|539082|The Fool of the World and the Flying Ship|Arthur Ransome|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1311985010s/539082.jpg|526470] in that Gribsgrabs, Splishsplosh, Piffpass, Pinkiepank, and Tiraling all have unique talents that enable their contributions.

Fun, satirical, provocative, romantic, silly... all that and more all at once in 88 generously illustrated pages. If you do nothing else, google the title for the pictures of the giant show more with the bat wings....

"[They] lived in great want, for the village had burned down, and the school too, and the farmers too, and the schoolboys too...."

I've recently discovered Doris Orgel; too bad, as she seems to have a flair for storytelling and translation and I'm having trouble finding her older works as libraries cull unloved oddball books.

And why isn't this book better known? I had to create a record for it here on Goodreads, despite that it's charmingly & humorously illustrated by the famed Maurice Sendak.

Is it known by something else in the original German? This English-language version is 1962, but Brentano (apparently well-known in German history of letters) probably wrote it almost 200 years ago. Does anyone know the original? show less

Get one part of « The Youth's Magic Horn » – normally it is edited in three volumes – have a walk through any German forest, sit down under an oak and start reading. If you don’t know German, instead of the books get a CD-player and listen to Christa Ludwig, interpreting Gustav Mahler’s musical version. It is something very sublimely German. You would have to be a monster in order not to enjoy that moment.

I did not like this book. It is based on a Irish Tale about a princess giving up her life for her daughter. The daughter then does the same. It has a great concept, but I don't think I would read this to my children.The book is very dark. It has a great lesson though, family will do anything for you. But, I do not see it being great in the classroom.

I thought this sory was very sad however it was well written. I would recommend it to anyone who is interested in old fashioned fairytalkes. This story is about tragic lives but it does have ahappy ending. The illustrations work great with the text.