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The Bremen Town Musicians: a book club kit
Where it comes from. Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm, two brothers in Germany, wrote this down in 1819. Today Bremen has a statue of the four friends.
In short (for the leader; it gives the ending away). An old donkey, dog, cat and rooster are no longer wanted by their masters. They set off together for the town of Bremen to be musicians. At a house full of robbers they stand on each other's backs and make a terrible noise that scares the robbers away. They like the house so much that they stay there.
The lesson, in one line. Friends working together can do great things, at any age.
Reading plan. Read it together at the meeting: about 7 minutes aloud, or ahead of time at home.
Questions to talk about
- What is the moral of The Bremen Town Musicians?
The story's answer: Friends working together can do great things, at any age. The four old animals do together what none of them could do alone. - Who wrote The Bremen Town Musicians?
The story's answer: The Brothers Grimm, Jacob and Wilhelm, wrote it down in Germany in 1819. - Do the Bremen Town Musicians ever get to Bremen?
The story's answer: No. They find a house on the way, scare the robbers out of it and like it so much that they stay there. - How do the animals scare the robbers?
The story's answer: They stand on each other's backs at the window and all make their sounds at once: a bray, a bark, a yowl and a crow. - Who in the story was kind, and who was not? How do you know?
Listen for: Ask for the moment in the story that shows it. - Which part would you change, and how would the story end then?
Listen for: There is no wrong ending; ask what else would have to change.
Did you know?
- The Brothers Grimm wrote it down in Germany in 1819.
- Today Bremen has a statue of the four friends, stacked one on another.
- The animals never reach Bremen. They find a better home along the way.
Activity: Draw the story as a map
On one big sheet, draw every place the story happens and the path between them. Mark the spot where things go wrong and the spot where they come right.
More to talk about
More facts for the leader
- Their scary music is a bray, a bark, a yowl and a crow.
Words to teach before you start
- musician: music maker
- gloomy: sad and dark
- racket: loud noise
- robbers: people who steal
- brayed: went hee-haw
- coals: glowing fire bits
Questions leaders ask
How long does a The Bremen Town Musicians book club meeting take?
Reading it aloud takes about 7 minutes in all, so plan one meeting of 30 to 45 minutes, with time left for the questions. The reading plan on the sheet says where to stop.
What age is The Bremen Town Musicians for?
It is written at Peabody level 8, a grade 3 reading level, so most children at that level can read it alone. Younger children can listen to it read aloud.
Do the children need to read it before the meeting?
No. Each child can read it free on Peabody, before the meeting or together at it, and the questions work either way. The sheet's short version gives the ending away, so keep it for the leader.
How do I use the questions?
Start with the story's own questions, which have answers in the leader's notes, then move to the open ones and listen for reasons. There is no wrong answer to an open question. Stop when the group runs out of things to say.
Club kits for stories like this
- Jack and the Beanstalk (level 8)
- Stone Soup (level 8)
- The Elves and the Shoemaker (level 8)
- The Ugly Duckling (level 8)
- The Wolf and the Seven Little Goats (level 8)
- Tom Thumb (level 8)
How this kit is made
The short version, the facts and the first questions with their answers are the story's own, written for its page in Peabody's library and checked against the sources named there. The open questions, the activity and the plan are Peabody's, written for this kind of story. No part of it is written by a computer model.
Running the meeting: the meeting plans (30, 45 and 60 minutes) and the sign-up sheet.