The Wheel on the School

by Meindert DeJong

Book Overview

Why do the storks no longer come to the little Dutch fishing village of Shora to nest? It was Lina, one of the six schoolchildren who first asked the question, and she set the others to wondering. And... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0064400212
• ISBN13: 9780064400213
• Release Date: April 1972
• Publisher: HarperTrophy
• Length: 298 Pages
• Weight: 0.77 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.1" x 7.6"
• Age Range: 9 to 12 years
• Grade Range: Grades 4 to 7

Customer Reviews

Lovely, Lovely Story

When I was in the 5th grade, at a new school, we went to the library 1-2 times a week. Our librarian read this book to us and I remember always anticipating library time so we could hear more of this sweet story. I found this book a few years ago & reread it, loving it even more. The fact that I've found this book here compels me to purchase it to have as my own. What a great experience for me to have this wonderful memory of one of my favorite books and to be able to have my own copy!! Please read this sweet book!!

NEWBERY MEDAL CLASSIC

At first, I'm a bit hesitant reading a 1950's children's novel. But since, I have this self-imposed Newbery-reading challenge, I bought and read this book. T'was a pleasant and delightful experience reading the said title. The kids/protagonists in the book are empowered, heroic in their small but precious little way. During the course of the narrative, personal myths are challenged, community relationship is being developed, sense of responsibility being highlighted, and the love for environment is endorsed without being didactic. It is also laced with realistic humor, without patronizing kids as raw materials. The book is also notable for its masterful use of description and cinematic writing; the author is like a painter of landscape and seascape. Meindert DeJong really "demonstrated kinship with the young readers" that is now lacking in recent Newbery winners. This is Newbery at its best. This is literature that endures. This is the grace of age and experience. This is our best working definition of "most distinguished American literature for children". This is how it's done.

a favorite for 20+ years

I discovered this book when I was in fourth grade or thereabouts, quite by accident in the public library. Because it seemed to be about animals (it is about storks, but it's about people even more), I took it home. And it became one of three or four books that I reread every year or two thereafter. I've read it at least three times since I finally bought my own copy as an adult.Why is it so enchanting? I realized last night as I reread it yet again that The Wheel on the School says effectively in a story what most of today's children's books try to say in cliches and lectures: You are special, and people who are different from you are special too. Why is the message and the book effective? Because each person in the town realizes he or she, or the others in the town, is an important part of the town as the person actually contributes to it. No one is sitting around discussing self-esteem, but, for example, the town's fat boy, who usually gets left out of games, discovers he is strong, and the town's grumpy cripple becomes a leader, as they take part in what has become the town's mission--to bring storks to Shora. The old people emerge with stories and with memories of their own childhood longings and feats, and the adults and children work together. The book represents adults the way children see them (mysterious, sometimes scary, sometimes annoying, but protective, stronger, and wiser than the children), not with today's irreverence or irrelevance and not in a way where they take over the book or the children's project.The book was a balm to me as a kid, the child who was left out of everything, and who discovered in real life, with Lina, that sometimes old ladies make good friends when children don't. And now as an adult with friends ranging from children to old ladies, I still find the book warm and almost magical.

An absolute gem!

What a thrill it was to "find" this book. I bought it originally on an endorsement from the Chinaberry catalog. Neither the cover nor the title was particularly catchy. It sat on my teacher shelf for a couple of months...and then one rainy day at indoor recess we began reading. The basic story is of a small group of schoolchildren in Holland and their communal efforts to bring storks back to nest on the rooftops of their village. In the process of achieving this dream the story is an intergenerational tale of love and friendship. Finding help and providence in the places you might least expect them. It touched my young listeners deeply. We built a model of the village in our classroom. We compared people in our own lives to the characters in the story and gained new insights. One last strong endorsement...I had my students rank their top three book choices so far this year. The Wheel On The School came out as #1, and yes, Harry Potter was one of the contestants.

Each time I read this book, I love it more.

This is so much more than the story of a group of school children trying to bring storks to their Dutch fishing village on the North Sea. It is a story of people - people everywhere. It is a story of how important people are, irregardless of their age, physical condition, or how they make a living. It encourages us to go beyond what we see on the surface. It shows us that when we help others and care about others, good things will come to us. The children originally wanted to lure storks to their little village because the storks were said to bring good luck. Little did they know that storks would send good fortune ahead in the form of new-found friendships, help for others, and a community that came closer together than it had been before. Miendert DeJong does a masterful job of telling the story and providing strategically planted links as the events take place and unfold. I am an elementary teacher in Cabarrus County, NC. I have read this book to my children each year for many years. When I ask my new class if anyone has heard of the book, no one raises a hand. By the time we finish, the children feel like they have been right there with Lina and the boys. They have also grown to realize that Janus was far from being the mean old man that they met at the beginning. They realize that he just needed to be needed. Each time I read the book, I see more and I learn more. Don't read this story just once. You will be walking over a hidden treasure.