Ilse Plume

A group of abused and abandoned farm animals join together to form a singing band and go to Bremen-Town to make a living. Cooperation and cleverness result in surprising good fortune and a life of happily ever after. This is one of my childhood favorites because it shows how the downtrodden can work together creatively to free themselves from oppression and misery. It is an empowering story for children and adults! This story would be especially good to support a focus on collaboration and friendship in the primary grades. (M.Y.Phinney)… (meer)

I honestly didn’t think this book was a very good book at all especially for younger children. Near the beginning of the book the plot was flowing but then near the middle it started going all over the place. The animals were planning on becoming musicians but than they came upon a house and scared away the people in it. I just feel like it could have been written better because that part of the book was all over the place. I also don’t think certain parts of the book and language in the book is appropriate for young children. For example at one point in the book the animals attack the people in the house and it is very violent for young children. One sentence is “But when he tried to light at match by them, the cat flew at him in a fury and scratched him as hard as she could.” The big idea of this book is to never give up even when you don’t feel like you belong.… (meer)