The Wheel on the School
Encyclopedia
The Wheel on the School is a novel by Meindert DeJong
that won the 1955 Newbery Medal
for children's literature and the 1957 Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis
. The book was illustrated by noted author and illustrator Maurice Sendak
.
Fred Inglis, in his book The Promise of Happiness: Value and Meaning in Children's Fiction, writes that the book invokes the ancient pieties and the values of the old world and makes them "imaginable in the new."
s in their village, the teacher encourages the class to find out for themselves. They discover that the roofs on the village's homes are pitched so steeply that the storks cannot find space to nest on the sharp ridges, and placing a wagon wheel on each roof ridge would give storks a place to nest. The task of finding a wagon wheel in the tiny village proves difficult, and the children meet several interesting personalities during their search. This simple, yet compelling plot teaches that if people think and wonder why, things will begin to happen and dreams will come true.
The schoolchildren include: Lina, the only girl in the small school; Jella, the biggest of all the children; Auka, an average boy; Eelka, who is fat and awkward; and Pier and Dirk, the inseparable twins. These six kids are aided by their teacher, Grandmother Sibble III, legless Janus, old Douwa, and the "tin man". Other characters include the fathers of the children, who are all fishermen; Lina's aunt, who lives in Nes; Evert, the man living across from Lina's aunt; Lina and Auka's younger siblings, Linda and Jan; Jana, Janus's wife; and the mothers of the children.
The dedication reads: "To my nieces, Shirley and Beverly, and their flying fingers".
Meindert DeJong
Meindert De Jong sometimes spelled as Meindert de Jong or Dejong was an award winning author of children's books. He was born in the village of Wierum, of the province of Friesland, in the Netherlands.-Life:...
that won the 1955 Newbery Medal
Newbery Medal
The John Newbery Medal is a literary award given by the Association for Library Service to Children, a division of the American Library Association . The award is given to the author of the most distinguished contribution to American literature for children. The award has been given since 1922. ...
for children's literature and the 1957 Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis
Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis
The Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis is an annual award established in 1956 by the Federal Ministry of Family Affairs, Senior Citizens, Women and Youth to recognise outstanding works of children's literature. It is Germany's only state-funded literary award. In the past, authors from many countries...
. The book was illustrated by noted author and illustrator Maurice Sendak
Maurice Sendak
Maurice Bernard Sendak is an American writer and illustrator of children's literature. He is best known for his book Where the Wild Things Are, published in 1963.-Early life:...
.
Fred Inglis, in his book The Promise of Happiness: Value and Meaning in Children's Fiction, writes that the book invokes the ancient pieties and the values of the old world and makes them "imaginable in the new."
Plot summary
Lina Sendak is one of six school children in the small fishing village of Shora. When she writes an essay for school that asks why there are no storkStork
Storks are large, long-legged, long-necked wading birds with long, stout bills. They belong to the family Ciconiidae. They are the only family in the biological order Ciconiiformes, which was once much larger and held a number of families....
s in their village, the teacher encourages the class to find out for themselves. They discover that the roofs on the village's homes are pitched so steeply that the storks cannot find space to nest on the sharp ridges, and placing a wagon wheel on each roof ridge would give storks a place to nest. The task of finding a wagon wheel in the tiny village proves difficult, and the children meet several interesting personalities during their search. This simple, yet compelling plot teaches that if people think and wonder why, things will begin to happen and dreams will come true.
The schoolchildren include: Lina, the only girl in the small school; Jella, the biggest of all the children; Auka, an average boy; Eelka, who is fat and awkward; and Pier and Dirk, the inseparable twins. These six kids are aided by their teacher, Grandmother Sibble III, legless Janus, old Douwa, and the "tin man". Other characters include the fathers of the children, who are all fishermen; Lina's aunt, who lives in Nes; Evert, the man living across from Lina's aunt; Lina and Auka's younger siblings, Linda and Jan; Jana, Janus's wife; and the mothers of the children.
The dedication reads: "To my nieces, Shirley and Beverly, and their flying fingers".