Brundibar by Hans Krasa and Adolf Hoffmeister, Maurice Sendak and Tony Kushner. 2003 first edition.

Written by Tony Kushner based on the opera by Hans Krasa and Adolf Hoffmeister. Illustrated by Maurice Sendak. First edition, 2003. Michael di Capua Books/Hyperion Books for Children.

"The wicked never win!
We have our victory yet!
Tyrants come along, but you just wait and see!
They topple one-two-three!
Our friends make us strong!
And thus we end our song!"

Front Flap

"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, buy the milk, defeat the bully, and triumphantly return home."

And yet, in the end, Brundibar warns that "...nothing ever works out neatly - bullies don't give up completely. One departs, the next appears, and we shall meet again, my dears!"

Czechoslovakian composer Hans Krasa wrote the music for Brundibar in 1938, with a libretto by Adolph Hoffmeister. Krasa was eventually imprisoned at the Terezin concentration camp, where, through his indomitable spirit, he reconstructed the opera to be performed by the camp's children, and it was performed over 55 times, until most of the children were gone.

Maurice Sendak (1928 - 2012) was a visionary American illustrator and author. His most acclaimed book, "Where the Wild Things Are," published in 1963, is a classic in children's literature. Mr. Rabbit and the Lovely Present earned Sendak the first of seven Caldecott Honor awards. In 1970, he won the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award for his lifetime contribution to children's literature. His other works include the Little Bear series, In The Night Kitchen, Outside Over There, and many others. He also created scenery for theatrical productions, including Brundibar and Nutcracker.

Anthony Kushner (1956 - ) is an American playwright, author, and screenwriter. His most notable work, "Angels in America," garnered both a Pulitzer Prize and a Tony Award, and was later adapted into an acclaimed HBO miniseries. Kushner's contributions to the arts were recognized with the National Medal of Arts, awarded by President Barack Obama in 2013. His collaborations with director Steven Spielberg on films like "Munich" and "Lincoln" have further cemented his reputation as a versatile and impactful storyteller in American culture.

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Condition: Very Good/Very Good. Dust jacket: Light shelf wear; creasing of a small section of the paper coating along the lower spine; on the back, light fading along the spine; corners are very lightly bumped. Black title on brown cloth cover boards: Small area of light dampstain, front and back near tail of the spine; lightly faded at lower edges. Pages are clean, undamaged, and complete.