Book Revisited ...
Aug. 7th, 2007 12:50 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
scottishlassYou know when ppl ask me about my favourite book, most ppl will probably think I'd answer with Lord of the Rings or To The Lighthouse. But I won't mention these, nor even with my childhood favourites like Winnie the Pooh or The Dark Is Rising. No, none of these.
My favourite book was first published in 1967 (my birth year) and is sadly out of print. Drei Tage und kein Ende (Three days and no ending) by Cili Wethekam. She was a German popular children's book author and unfortunately her books never got translated :( But Drei Tage und kein Ende (alibris link) is a wonderful book, full of wonder and which I feel compelled to read every year at least once. I still have one of the second edition prints from 1967 and the book is already falling apart but what the heck, reading it is like visiting a familiar friend. It makes me all teary-eyed and warm with the fuzzies :)
The book opens to show us Family Helgers, a typical after war 1960's family. Dad Helgers is a graphic designer, Mom Helgers a stay at home mom for their three children Kathrin (the eldest with 18), Jules (Julia) a pesky 13 year old and little Saskia, at 10 a very good student. For each very good grade Saskia is allowed to ask for something and usually she asks for a cinema trip with her sister Jules. But not this time. Shortly before Christmas a French boy's choir stops in their city and the choir is looking for families taking care of the boys for the time they are in town. Saskia requests for a temporary son for her father and it is agreed they will take in a young boy for three days.
Frederic isn't the usual well kempt boy everyone expects. His father, who was a German POW in France, died leaving him with his stepmother in Paris. He has crummy teeth, squinted eyes and has to wear thick glasses. But he is the soloist of the choir, his voice being remarkable. He looks more like a scarecrow than a boy, but Family Helgers fall head over heels for their little French exchange son and Frederic falls in love with his famille.
The book continues to tell how the bond between the family and their temporary son grows stronger and stronger not only in the three days he stays with them but also afterwards and that they visit him in Paris and also take him on vacation down to the Loire Castles.
Of course Frederic harbours a secret. Since his last tour he has lost his singing voice and as he doesn't want to be a hindrance to his stepmother Mado puts all his effort into making his family realize that they should take them in as an adopted son.
It sounds a bit corny when reading my summary above but the book is well written and Frederic with his Frenchized German is just adorable.
A must read IMHO, as it doesn't feel like a mere children's book but that of a tale of love, family and knowing where one belongs.
My favourite book was first published in 1967 (my birth year) and is sadly out of print. Drei Tage und kein Ende (Three days and no ending) by Cili Wethekam. She was a German popular children's book author and unfortunately her books never got translated :( But Drei Tage und kein Ende (alibris link) is a wonderful book, full of wonder and which I feel compelled to read every year at least once. I still have one of the second edition prints from 1967 and the book is already falling apart but what the heck, reading it is like visiting a familiar friend. It makes me all teary-eyed and warm with the fuzzies :)
The book opens to show us Family Helgers, a typical after war 1960's family. Dad Helgers is a graphic designer, Mom Helgers a stay at home mom for their three children Kathrin (the eldest with 18), Jules (Julia) a pesky 13 year old and little Saskia, at 10 a very good student. For each very good grade Saskia is allowed to ask for something and usually she asks for a cinema trip with her sister Jules. But not this time. Shortly before Christmas a French boy's choir stops in their city and the choir is looking for families taking care of the boys for the time they are in town. Saskia requests for a temporary son for her father and it is agreed they will take in a young boy for three days.
Frederic isn't the usual well kempt boy everyone expects. His father, who was a German POW in France, died leaving him with his stepmother in Paris. He has crummy teeth, squinted eyes and has to wear thick glasses. But he is the soloist of the choir, his voice being remarkable. He looks more like a scarecrow than a boy, but Family Helgers fall head over heels for their little French exchange son and Frederic falls in love with his famille.
The book continues to tell how the bond between the family and their temporary son grows stronger and stronger not only in the three days he stays with them but also afterwards and that they visit him in Paris and also take him on vacation down to the Loire Castles.
Of course Frederic harbours a secret. Since his last tour he has lost his singing voice and as he doesn't want to be a hindrance to his stepmother Mado puts all his effort into making his family realize that they should take them in as an adopted son.
It sounds a bit corny when reading my summary above but the book is well written and Frederic with his Frenchized German is just adorable.
A must read IMHO, as it doesn't feel like a mere children's book but that of a tale of love, family and knowing where one belongs.
