The Wheel on the School

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The Wheel on the School
Wheel on the School cover.jpg
First edition
Author Meindert DeJong
Illustrator Maurice Sendak
LanguageEnglish
Genre Children's novel
Publisher Harper & Brothers
Publication date
1954
Publication placeUnited States
Media typePrint (Hardback and paperback)
Pages298 pp
ISBN 0064400212
OCLC 174138

The Wheel on the School is a children's novel by Dutch-born American author Meindert DeJong and illustrated by Maurice Sendak. In the Netlanderlands fishing village of Shora, storks, a symbol of good luck, never nest; six children set out to change that. The book won the 1955 Newbery Medal and the 1957 Germany Youth Literature Award. [1] [2]

Plot summary

Lina is one of six school children in the small fishing village of Shora in Friesland. When she writes an essay for school that asks why there are no storks in their village, she sets all the others to wondering. Their teacher encourages the class to find out for themselves. The children set out to bring the storks back, but they have to overcome many obstacles. They discovered 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 when people think and wonder why, things begin to happen, and dreams come true.

The schoolchildren are: 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.

References

  1. "Association for Library Service to Children - Newbery Medal Winners & Honor Books, 1922 – Present" (PDF). ALA.org. Retrieved December 7, 2025.
  2. "Book: The Wheel at School". JugendLiteratur.org. Retrieved December 6, 2025.