Brundibar is based on a 1938 Czech opera for children that was performed fifty-five times by the children of Terezin, the Nazi concentration camp. When Aninku and Pepicek discover one morning that their mother is sick, they rush to town for milk to make her better. Their attempt to earn money by singing is thwarted by a bullying, bellowing hurdy-gurdy grinder, Brundibar, who tyrannizes the town square and chases all other street musicians away. Befriended by three intelligent talking animals and three hundred helpful schoolkids, brother and sister sing for the money to buy the milk, defeat the bully, and triumphantly return home.

In this adaptation by Tony Kushner we have a updated version of the late Slovakian Opera piece, Brundibar. Brundibar, a vile bully in the story tries to scare of two children, Aninku and Pepicek, from making money on the streets singing to save up to buy some milk for their sick mother back home. The doctor sends them into town to find milk. Illustrated by the talented Maurice Sendak (Where the Wild Things Are) I thought I would read this tale since I was researching children's book's on the holocaust. It was a very interesting story, very straight forward, where their are heros and a main antagonist. What I found interesting was that the opera was performed the children of Terezin from the concentration camp during World War 2. The children performed it for the Nazi's 52 times. Kushner's adaptation at the very end has a page where the children, town, and animals all cry out that tyrants will never last and that to have courage and hope in the face of tyranny. What an inspiring and lovely book. It brought tears to my eyes. Every child has their own Brundibar, or bully and the lesson is that we must always stand as a group against the bully and the tyrant. Lastly, the book contains significant songs and rhymes that children can enjoy will practicing their rhyming words and meter. ( )

Two children go into town to fetch fresh milk for their ailing mother. However, they don't have the money to pay for it so they try singing in the square to make some change. But Brundibar drowns out their singing with his organ grinding. Can the children overcome the bully and get the milk their mother needs?

This book is based on an opera of the same name, which was infamously performed by children held in a Nazi concentration camp. While the text of the book makes no mention of anything related to World War II or the Holocaust, Sendak's illustrations do. An optimistic ending about help always being available keeps the book from being too heartbreaking, but then a final page spread has a note from Brundibar saying how "Bullies don't give up completely. One departs, the next appears..." I suppose that is meant to be cautionary in a "never forget" way, but it does leave the book on a bit of downer. ( )

When Aninku and Pepicek discover one morning that their mother is sick, they
rush to town for milk to make her better. Their attempt to earn money by
singing is thwarted by a bullying, bellowing hurdy-gurdy grinder, Brundibar,
who tyrannizes the town square and chases all other street musicians away.

Continuing my quest to read all Maurice Sendack books, I finished Brundibar last night.

There is a very tragic story behind this book. Based on a Czech opera, set to music by a Hans Krasa.

As Nazi Germany and the evilness of Hitler and his henchmen were creeping and then running frantically to exterminate Jews, the opera Brundibar was performed by children of in the concentration camp of Terezin.

Used as propaganda, the play was performed 55 times.

Sadly, the composer Krasa was imprisoned in Terezin and later killed in 1944 in Auschwitz.

The book is written by the playwright Tony Kushner with stunning illustrations by Sendak.

When Aniku and Pepicek awake to find their mother gravely ill, they call a doctor who informs them fresh milk will save their mother.

With no money, they trek a long way into the town square where many are selling and buying. Alas, the milk man turns them away because they cannot pay for his ware.

Meeting a nasty hurdy gurdy Brundibar who bullies and frightens them while trying to thwart their plans, eventually, the town of 300 children sing in order for Aniku and Pepicek to buy milk.

In real life tragically, often after children performed the play in Treblinka, they were transported to Auschwitz. Still, time and time again, knowing that some of them were slated to die, they sang on and on.

http://theater.nytimes.com/2006/05/09/theater/reviews/09brun.html?pagewanted=all....
http://www.slate.com/articles/life/sandbox/2003/11/the_notsowild_thing.html

Throughout Sendak's illustrations the town square is filled with people wearing the yellow star imposed upon them by the Nazis. The play and the book, while dark and stark in theme, realistically depict good vs evil.

Please take a few minutes (18 of them) and watch this interview with Bill Moyers. It is incredibly insightful and beautiful.

http://www.pbs.org/now/arts/sendak.html ( )