Tomi Ungerer, recipient of the Hans Christian Andersen award for illustration, and “one of the world’s most famous and best-loved children’s authors,” brings readers a fun tale that feels like something from the minds of the Brothers Grimm. It begins dark and scary, but ends with joy and happiness. The three robbers are feared throughout the land: “women fainted. Brave men ran. Dogs fled.” With their pepper-blower (for blinding the horses), their large red ax (for chopping the wheels off the carriage), and their blunderbuss (used for threatening the passengers), they take their plunder to their secret lair. Then on one night there is no plunder but a little girl, so they take her to their lair. When she asks them what they do with all their plunder, they are speechless. Deciding to do good, the three robbers buy a castle and adopt orphans and helpless children, giving them a better life. Using a simple chalk art style with few sentences and lots of big pictures, kids will enjoy this colorful book. The story feels like an original fairy tale with a clear message of needing to be caring to others (just make sure you ignore the fact that the money was ill-gotten).
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Originally written on April 7th 2009 ©Alex C. Telander.
Originally published in the Sacramento Book Review.
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