Brundibar is an extraordinary picturebook, based on the Czech
opera of the same name written by Hans Krasa, who was killed in
Auschwitz in 1944. The original opera was preformed 55 times by
the children in the Nazi concentration camp, Terezin, before
they were put to death, and this background is vital to fully
understanding the book. Ostensibly the story of two children,
Pepicek and Aninku and their search to find milk for their sick
mother, the story works on many different levels, examining
serious issues such as poverty and oppression. Younger readers
will enjoy the children’s quest and their final triumph, even if
the overall context is lost on them, but the book’s true
audience is older, knowing children and adults. The playful text
is deftly written and, like the children, hurries along at quite
a lick: ‘And everyone everyone everyone was there, buying buying
busy buying.’ Kushner uses rhyme and alliteration to keep up the
pace and the illustrations are also full of chaotic movement.
And what illustrat