Yesterday we were in the Blue Ash regional library, to rent some books. Ruth has organized this. The different departments had different colours - yellow for children, blue for teens and red for adults. The childrens department had some little furniture like in a kindergarden and space to play. It was easy to find books, because of the big headlines, like fairy tailes, languages, techniques etc. The shelves were lower than the shelves for adults, so that the children could reach all the books. The lending was very easy, self checking the ID codes at the desk with library identity card. It is the same procedure like in Germany.
I chose two books from Hans Christian Andersen, two fairy tales. The first one "The Little Mermaid", and the second one "The Red Shoes". The books were very different. "The Little Mermaid" was the classical translation, a very long story with elaborate descriptions about the landscape under and over the water, about the feelings of the persons, about the clothes, about the celebrations etc. There was described a fully other world, so that just the reader could immerse in an other world. This feeling I remember, when I was a little girl. I very much liked this feeling. But the fairy tale of the little mermaid was very sorrowful. The end of the story, I heard years before was a little bit different. What I remember was, that the mermaid herself had to dissolve in to the foam on the billows. In this version here the mermaid went with the daughters of the air into heaven, and after years, when she has done a lot of helpful things, she may obtain an immortal soul and entrance ino heaven.
The other book "The Red Shoes" was shorter, more simple and the moral in the text was in the foreground. The girl has to think about, what she wished. She said, that she more than all things on the world wants to have the red dancing shoes. The shoemaker said, that she should be careful, what she wishes for, because it may come true. In the book she had to learn by no-stop-dancing shoes, that the family and the other values are more important. And there was in the book a happiend with happiness in the family. This book was easy to understand, and children could identify with the story. But I was bothered by the circumstances, how the girl gets the shoes. The shoes were her dream for a long time and she collected coins for many years in a glass. I think this is very good way, that children, if they want something not get all by gifts. They have to exert themselves for something. I don't understand, that the conclusion is although so negative, and would not advise this book to my children.
In summary lets say, that some books are very good for children, they could understand them by themselves, and other need a discussion with adults to understand the moral.
That's all for today...
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Hi Lili,
ReplyDeleteI like how you related these books to your childhood experiences. Because they are classics, many people already know the story. Did you find the vocabulary difficult?
See you tomorrow,
Jody