What’s Happening This Week
There is much more to explore in our calendar. Find other important events in literary history, authors' birthdays, and a variety of holidays, each with related lessons and resources.
Looking for age-appropriate book recommendations, author interviews, and fun activity ideas? Check out our podcasts.
The Pied Piper led the children out of Hamelin in 1376.
|Grades||7 – 12|
|Calendar Activity Type||Historical Figure & Event|
The legend of the Pied Piper of Hamelin has been recounted in a number of literary works by authors including the Brothers Grimm and poet Robert Browning. Though legend says that the Pied Piper led the children out of Hamelin on June 26, 1284, Browning used the date July 22, 1376, for rhyming purposes.
Have you ever wondered what things would look like in Hamelin from the rats' point of view? Read aloud The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents by Terry Pratchett, winner of the 2001 Carnegie Medal. The synopsis of the book included in this resource guide shows why librarians in the United Kingdom named this book the "outstanding book for children and young people" published in 2001.
After sharing this book with students, have them compare Pratchett's version with Browning's version. After discussing how perspective changes the story, you can have students look at other fairy tale retellings such as Jon Scieszka's The True Story of the Three Little Pigs.
- The Pied Piper of Hamelin
The Indiana University Libraries site includes an electronic version of the 1888 edition of Browning's poem with scanned images of the illustrations by Kate Greenaway.
- Poets.org: Robert Browning
For background information on Browning, visit the Academy of American Poets site. This site also features some of his poems, including "The Pied Piper of Hamelin."
- The Pied Piper of Hamelin and Related Tales from Other Towns
This page from the University of Pittsburgh offers several versions of the Pied Piper tale, including the Brothers Grimm version and Browning's version.
- Snow White
Have your students explore a few different versions of the fairy tale Snow White from around the world, looking for similarities and differences in the versions.
Games & Tools
Grades 3 – 8 | Game & Tool
The Fractured Fairy Tales tool lets children play with three familiar fairy tales, changing many things including setting, characters, point of view, and plot.
Grades 6 – 12 | Podcast Episode
In this episode, you’ll hear about creative retellings in a variety of genres and forms, including biographies, short story anthologies, verse novels, and picture books.