Anatole and the Pied Piper

Anatole #10

by Eve Titus, Paul Galdone

Anatole the mouse is called upon to be a hero when an ambitious musician concocts a scheme involving 24 schoolmice at a picnic.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, France, Music

32 pages, Hardcover

Published January 1, 1979

About the author

Eve Titus was the author of numerous bestselling and beloved children's books.

Her most famous characters include Anatole, a French mouse and Basil of Baker Street, a mouse who works as a private eye. Her book, Anatole, won the 1957 Caldecott Honor Book award.

She died in 2002 in Orlando, Florida.

Reviews

[Calista · Rating 4 out of 5]

A group of mice is mousenipped by a flute playing man with a plan. He was told that mice are very good judges of music and he wants to win a music competition. He cages the children and they help him write better music. Anatole and his wife come up with a plan to save the children. They enlist an orchestra and put on a concert. They hold the man’s flute hostage and free everyone.

As a musician, I love this story. It’s funny and uses music as the solution to the problem. I love that kind of solution if it works. This is one of the last Anatole that Eve wrote and she still has unique situations to put her mice in. I know this is a version of the Pied Piper of Hamlin, but it’s also so Anatole and French. I don’t know why I love Anatole so much, but I think these stories are very fun.

The nephew enjoys a good Anatole story too. He likes all the little mice and he loved seeing all the children. He’s not overly familiar with the Pied Piper, so to him it was a good story. He thought a mouse orchestra was pretty funny. He gave this 3 stars. I was hoping the lure of a story with cheese would get my niece involved and it didn’t.

[Lagobond · Rating 2 out of 5]

This did not work at all. The entire story, while somewhat eventful and interesting, was built around a premise that holds no water: In order to free their captured children, the mice set up a major rescue operation. An operation which somehow hinges on a concert being played at evil Grissac's home in order to cover up the sounds of the prisoners' escape. But if the birds and mice were able to set up the entire affair, musical instruments and all, without waking up the napping villain... well surely they could have simply moved the kids out during the nap, instead? The storytelling didn't charm me, either.

There are three excellent books in this series: Anatole, Anatole in Italy, and Anatole and the Thirty Thieves. Anatole and the Robot is quite good as well. Eve Titus should have quit there, because the rest of the series is awful. Feels like this is one of those authors who, after a big (and well-deserved) initial hit, signed a publishing contract that asked for more than she had to offer.

[Leah G · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute story, though not my favorite Anatole book, but too long for my five year old.