The Hero of Bremen

Thank you GR Michael for alerting me to the art of [a:Charles Mikolaycak|285208|Charles Mikolaycak|https://s.gr-assets.com/assets/nophoto/user/u_50x66-632230dc9882b4352d753eedf9396530.png]; his work does indeed compare favorably to that of [a:Trina Schart Hyman|6603|Trina Schart Hyman|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1372538777p2/6603.jpg].

And I do take myself to task for not finding this earlier, given how much I love Hodges' [b:Saint George and the Dragon|10118|Saint George and the Dragon|Margaret Hodges|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1424464264s/10118.jpg|2042811].

And I do appreciate the author's note, explaining how she collated/adapted three different sources.
And of course I appreciate the theme that a 'cripple' and a small show more child can be heroes.

However, the story itself did nothing for me. I am not spiritual, nor do I tend to experience meaningful hallucinations, so I can't enjoy the part Roland played in the story. And there's something else that I can't pin down that I find unsatisfying. Maybe it's that it's a wordy retelling - not much goes on despite the use of quite a few words....

(btw, this has nothing to do with those animal musicians of Bremen, except maybe the fact that some versions of that more famous tale had also been considered worthless/ disposable) show less