The Pied Piper of Hamelin

Robert Browning’s poetic retelling of the German folk tale follows the town of Hamelin as it suffers a plague of rats. The rodents infest every home until a mysterious piper in multicolored clothing offers to charm them away for a fee of one thousand guilders. Using a magic pipe, he leads the rats into the River Weser to drown. When the Mayor and the Corporation refuse to pay the promised gold, the Piper returns. He plays a different tune that draws the town's children into a mountain portal, where they disappear forever, leaving one lame boy behind to describe the paradise he nearly reached.

This edition serves as an introduction to narrative poetry for children and a visual showcase for Kate Greenaway’s Victorian illustrations. Readers use the rhythmic verse to build vocabulary and understand the consequences of broken promises and greed. The book provides a cautionary lesson on integrity while familiarizing young audiences with classic folklore archetypes. Lovers of historical artwork appreciate the detailed depictions of nineteenth-century costume and architecture that accompany the text. People read it to experience a world where music functions as a supernatural force that reveals the true character of adult society.