My five year old was fascinated with the robbers, and loved the surprise direction the story takes. ( )

A bunch of thieves go soft when they find a little orphan girl. They open an orphanage with all of their stolen loot and soon build a village to house all of the children as they grow up.
This is a sweet story. I like how it starts with bad guys (les brigands) stealing from townspeople, who then become good guys (but still maybe a little bad in a fun way). Kids love categorizing people into good and bad and I like that this book throws them a curveball. ( )

Three Robbers steal from people, scaring them into giving up their wealth. Until a little girl laughs at them as they try and threaten her. A lovely folk tale, sure to delight. Unger's distinctive style is very appealing. ( )

wonderfully scary, then melts into charm. Children love this book. ( )

Three robbers wearing black hats and capes terrorize the countryside with their blunderbuss, pepper-blower and huge red axe in this classic and quirky tale from Tomi Ungerer. When they kidnap a young orphan named Tiffany, her simple question - what do they plan to do with their hoarded treasure? - precipitates them down a new path in life, as the proprietors of a castle built to house the region's orphans and unwanted children...

Originally published in Switzerland in 1963 as Die Drei Räuber, this classic of world children's literature was brought back into print in English by Phaidon in 2008. With an atmospheric tale that subverts the reader's expectations, depicting the robbers' transformation from frightening figures who threaten the populace to benevolent men who found an orphanage for needy children, whilst still remaining thieves, The Three Robbers displays its creator's sense of whimsy, as well as the social commentary for which he is famous. Are the eponymous Three Robbers meant to be Robin Hood figures, stealing from the rich in order to benefit the poor? Are they the fulfillment of the child's fantasy of tricking the adults, and living on their own in a castle? Or does the story encourage us to think that people who do bad things can be reformed, if given a new direction for their energies? Whatever the case may be, the story is still entertaining, just as the bold artwork is engrossing. ( )