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The Musicians of Bremen

An old gray donkey and a brown dog walking side by side along a colorful road heading toward town, clear blue sky and lush green fields lining the path

An old donkey, cast out by his owner for being too old to work, decided to travel to Bremen to become a musician. Along the way, he met an old dog who had been abandoned too, and the two agreed to travel on together.

A gray donkey, brown dog, orange cat, and red rooster walking together in a line along a colorful road through lush green fields

Along the way, they met an old cat sitting sadly by the roadside, and a rooster who was about to be cooked for dinner. The four animals joined together as travel companions, all heading toward Bremen.

Four animals peeking through the window of a wooden house glowing with golden light in the dark forest, seeing colorfully dressed robbers eating inside

As night fell in the forest, the four animals spotted a house with lights on and the smell of delicious food drifting out. Peeking through the window, they saw it was a den of robbers sitting down to eat.

A donkey, dog, cat, and rooster stacked into a tall tower against the window of a wooden house at night, golden light glowing from inside

The four animals hatched a clever plan. The donkey stood on his hind legs against the window, the dog climbed onto his back, the cat climbed onto the dog's back, and the rooster flew up onto the cat's head. Together they let out an enormous cry and burst through the window.

A donkey, dog, cat, and rooster relaxing happily together inside a warm, colorful wooden house, golden candlelight filling the room

The strange noise and enormous shape terrified the robbers so much they fled the house and never returned. The four animals settled into the house happily, living together ever after.

Moral of the story

Even those seen as useless can overcome great obstacles when friends work together.

The original plot is in the public domain. Copyright is reserved in the Hoot Tales retelling, translation, illustrations, and presentation.

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About this story

A donkey, a dog, a cat, and a rooster, each abandoned by their owners for growing too old to work, band together to travel to Bremen and become musicians — and along the way, cleverly scare a band of robbers out of their house.

⏱ About 3–5 minutes👧 Best for ages 4–8📚 World Classics

What children can learn

Friendship
Written and retold by
A classic tale by the Brothers Grimm — retold by the Hoot Tales team
License
Public domain · Source: Brothers Grimm
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