In the town of Hamelin, the rich & greedy live like kings & queens while the poor & sick scavenge rubbish tips for scraps. A lame orphan boy tells the classic tale of how a plague of rats take over the town & how a fantastic piper offers to rid Hamelin of its rats for a single gold coin, then lures away the town's children when the greedy mayor breaks his word. Masterfully weaving contemporary social & environmental themes into a gripping tale, & celebrating it with breath-taking illustrations, former British Children's Laureate Michael Morpurgo & illustrator Emma Chichester Clark team up to create a compelling new take on this timeless story.