The Wheel on the School
by Meindert De Jong, Maurice Sendak (Illustrator)

5 out of 5 stars

Lina is the only girl at the village school. She starts asking why storks don’t come to nest in their seaside village, and all the other schoolchildren begin to wonder why as well. They notice that other villages have old wheels on their roofs, so that the storks have a place to build their nests. They start asking around to see if they can find an old wheel to put on the roof of the schoolhouse, but it’s more difficult than they imagined to get a wheel. Most wheels are being used on wagons, not sitting around to be bird nests. As the obstacles against them continue to grow, the children refuse to give up, and soon the whole village is helping them, hoping to attract the good luck that storks bring with them.

It was really lovely to see how the children bring together characters from the village that would never otherwise have interacted with each other. Through the project to bring storks to the village, they are inspired to come together in generosity and good will, whereas they were usually stingy and grumpy. The children’s hope is catching, and even the adults begin to hope for a bright future for their village.

The writing is delightfully old-fashioned, and the plot comes together so perfectly as all the different characters of the village have something to add to the story. I love the charming setting in Holland! The village is protected by a dike, and the fishermen come in and out of the harbor in their fishing fleet. It’s really sweet to see this community coming together to share what little they have.

Lina is an adorable character! I liked her the best. It’s interesting how she has courage in some circumstances, but in other situations, she is a big scaredy cat. She will stand on a sandbar without flinching while the tide comes in, but she’s scared of a barking farm dog.

The most dramatic character is Mr. Janus, who is in a wheelchair. The children think he is the meanest man in the village, because he carefully guards his cherry tree from any boys who try to steal the cherries. But as they all come together to find a wheel for the storks, they gradually realize that Janus is a fearless leader who will organize the villagers into an effective team to find a wheel and get it on the schoolhouse roof before the end of nesting season. Janus has the biggest heart, and the most hilarious sense of humor.

Such a beautiful book, full of fun and pure joy!