Udo Weigelt / Cristina Kadmon
Bear’s Last Journey
“What does it mean when you are dead?” the little fox asked the old bear.
“Some say it’s just like sleeping. And others say that you go to heaven… ” answered the bear.
The old bear is (deathly) ill. Fox, badger, rabbit, squirrel, deer, all of his animal friends have gathered in his cave to say goodbye to him.
A quiet, tender story about how death is something completely natural. The surprising ending gives those who remain behind the feeling that life will go on.
Delicately and finely illustrated, written with lots of heart.
Ages approx. 4 and up. Also moving for adults.
RK & GK
An outstanding pearl that depicts a deep topic of life in a child-friendly way, without being forceful.
AS
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Selma Lagerlöf
The Girl from the Marsh Croft
Original Title: Tösen från Stormyrtorpet
There is a certain kind of person who always puts others and their well-being first.
This story is about a girl who has an illegitimate child, it is about love and renunciation, courage and cowardice, selflessness and greed.
Winner of the Swedish Nobel Prize for literature, this novella portrays fascinating characters full of life. Once you pick up this book, you really want to finish it in one sitting, which is quite possible given its brevity.
GP
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Hector Malot
Nobody’s Boy (or: Alone in the World)
Original Title: Sans famille
Rémi spends about seven happy years with Mother Barberin. When he is eight years old, Father Barberin comes home. An accicent at work left him incapacitated and so he is not happy to see Rémi. The family is poor and the boy only costs money. At night, when Rémi is in bed and Barberin thinks he is asleep, Rémi overhears the conversation between his parents. It turns out that Mother Barberin is not his real mother. Rémi is a foundling and he is probably a child of rich parents, for when he was found he was dressed in precious clothes.
Barberin sells Rémi to Vitalis, an itinerant artist. This is the start of a life of long hikes through wind and weather, without the certainty of a meal and a sheltered place to spend the night at the end of the day.
In the years that follow good and bad times alternate.
When Rémi finds his own family at last, he is back from where he started his wanderings. He shares his happiness with his faithful friend Mattia and with his foster mother.
‘Nobody’s boy’ is not only just an adventure story. The narrative gives a clear picture of the part grown-ups play in the life of a parentless, defenseless child. The book contains a clear depction of Rémi’s character. He will not be forced to criminal behaviour, never loses hope and courage and remains prepared to help others throughout.
SK
A pleasure to read. Good characters.
Ages 9 and up, or younger if read aloud.
SO
I was also taken with this book, so it was put “very strictly” on the reading list of my three daughters … They were all deeply moved. One of them cried and for a long time couldn’t come to terms with the fact that Rémi had such a difficult fate. The others asked many why-questions about the boy’s life and about children who have to grow up without a family. It is a very emotional book that opens the reader’s heart and makes them more compassionate.
SN
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Lucy Maud Montgomery
Anne of Green Gables
Anne of Green Gables is considered a classic children’s novel, but is loved by adults and children alike. Anne Shirley is an orphan who is taken in by two unmarried, childless siblings, Marilla and Matthew Cuthbert, who run the farm at Green Gables. Anne is an optimistic, fearless child who speaks in exclamation marks. Though her enthusiasm and impetuousness tend to get her into trouble, she soon wins the hearts of those around her and finally finds a home for herself in Avonlea. Readers will find themselves falling in love with Anne’s character. She’s a dreamer, a romantic, she’s intelligent, witty and, above all, fiercely kind. Set against the backdrop of beautiful Prince Edward Island in Canada, Anne of Green Gables is a rewarding read and should have a place on every bookshelf.
-L.R.
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Jean Craighead George
Julie of the Wolves
An Inuit girl flees into the wildness because she is being forcibly married. To survive, she must try to join a pack of wolves. And in order to be accepted, she observes the wolves for days to learn their behavior.
Animal lovers in particular will enjoy reading this book.
RK
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