The Barnyard Band
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Cover Story
The cover illustration for this issue is by Tony Ross for Allan Ahlberg’s latest addition to the ‘Happy Family’ series, Miss Dirt the Dustman’s Daughter. We are grateful to Puffin Books for their help in producing the cover of this November issue.
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The Barnyard Band
Retold by James Riordan
A quartet of decrepit animals - a donkey, a dog, a cat and a cock - abandoned or condemned to death by their owners, sets off together to seek their post-retirement fortunes as musicians in the city. Before they reach their destination, they find a farmhouse in which a band of robbers are stashing their loot. An impromptu jam session at the farmhouse window soon wins the animals a nice new home. This retelling of the Grimms' simple, but touching and hilarious story, 'The Musicians of Bremen' has been done with winning gusto by Riordan, while Fuge's big, bold and brilliant paintings, combining both traditional and modern imagery, depict the quaintness and grotes-querie of the tale very stridently.
A thoroughly enjoyable book.
