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A Day on Skates
Evert and Afke and their classmates celebrate the beginning of winter by spending a day ice-skating and having a winter picnic.
Hardcover
First published January 1, 1934
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews
December 8, 2019
This children’s book, written in the early 1930s, is charming and sweet. I don’t usually read children’s books now that my two are grown, but this was well worth a read. It makes me wish that I had known about it back when they were young. It’s fun to get the whole Dutch feel with the story and the illustrations are an absolute delight.
August 6, 2021
Chosen as a Newbery Honor Book in 1935 - the other titles to be so honored that year include Elizabeth Seeger's
The Pageant of Chinese History
and Constance Rourke's
Davy Crockett
, while the medal winner was Monica Shannon's
Dobry
- this delightful tale opens one cold January morning in the small Dutch village of Elst, in the province of Friesland. Nine-year-old twin siblings Evert and Afke had been longing for snow, and their wish had been granted in the night. The delights didn't end there however, as they soon learned at school, where Teacher informed them that he had permission to take the entire class on an all-day skating trip to the nearby town of Snaek. The day itself provided an entertaining series of experiences and adventures, from drinking hot cocoa at one of the booths set up along the canals, to seeing a real artist at work, painting a winter scene. When Evert fell through the ice, shy Simon came to his rescue, winning the admiration of all. But it was only when he joined Evert, Jan and Okke in their misadventure in the church bell tower, once the class had arrived in Snaek, that he truly cemented his friendship with the more popular Evert. After much excitement, the class finds its way back to Elst, having spent a joyful day on skates...
Published in 1934, A Day on Skates: The Story of a Dutch Picnic was author/artist Hilda van Stockum's very first book, and was based upon her childhood in the Netherlands. The edition I read was a Bethlehem Books reprint from 2007, and it included a brief introduction from van Stockum, written in 1994 for an earlier reprint. I was glad to read this introduction, which provided a brief bit of background to the writing of the story and the creation of the artwork, but was also glad that the original foreword, written by poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, the aunt-in-law of van Stockum, was reproduced on the back cover, so that I could read that as well. The story itself is simply delightful, full of incident and fun, but utterly lacking "drama," in the contemporary social conflict sense. The artwork, whether the lines drawings sprinkled throughout, or the full-color plates, was utterly charming, and added to my reading pleasure immeasurably. I never encountered this one as a child, and I now regret it, as I think it would have been a favorite. It reminded me (inevitably) of Hans Brinker; or, The Silver Skates , given the setting and theme, but it has been so many years since I read the latter that I am not sure how it compares. Perhaps I'll have to track it down, and reread it, in order to see. I will certainly need to track down more from van Stockum, and that is surely a ringing endorsement!
Although formatted like a picture-book, A Day on Skates: The Story of a Dutch Picnic is actually a heavily illustrated chapter-book, suitable to children with the attention span for longer stories, and for youngsters getting going with longer fiction. Wholeheartedly recommended!
Published in 1934, A Day on Skates: The Story of a Dutch Picnic was author/artist Hilda van Stockum's very first book, and was based upon her childhood in the Netherlands. The edition I read was a Bethlehem Books reprint from 2007, and it included a brief introduction from van Stockum, written in 1994 for an earlier reprint. I was glad to read this introduction, which provided a brief bit of background to the writing of the story and the creation of the artwork, but was also glad that the original foreword, written by poet Edna St. Vincent Millay, the aunt-in-law of van Stockum, was reproduced on the back cover, so that I could read that as well. The story itself is simply delightful, full of incident and fun, but utterly lacking "drama," in the contemporary social conflict sense. The artwork, whether the lines drawings sprinkled throughout, or the full-color plates, was utterly charming, and added to my reading pleasure immeasurably. I never encountered this one as a child, and I now regret it, as I think it would have been a favorite. It reminded me (inevitably) of Hans Brinker; or, The Silver Skates , given the setting and theme, but it has been so many years since I read the latter that I am not sure how it compares. Perhaps I'll have to track it down, and reread it, in order to see. I will certainly need to track down more from van Stockum, and that is surely a ringing endorsement!
Although formatted like a picture-book, A Day on Skates: The Story of a Dutch Picnic is actually a heavily illustrated chapter-book, suitable to children with the attention span for longer stories, and for youngsters getting going with longer fiction. Wholeheartedly recommended!
August 31, 2010
What a charming book! This was Hilda Van Stockum's first children's book, and, according to the introduction, it caused a sensation at the time it was published (1934) because it had so many full color illustrations. But the Caldecott Award hadn't been created yet, so it was given the Newbery honor book award in 1935. Though the pictures are lovely, I think the story deserved an award all on its own. A teacher and his class of children take advantage of the first good freeze and snowfall of the season to go on a "picnic"--skating along the canals and streams. Along the way they see interesting sights, make new friends, and have several adventures. Between the text and pictures you get a real feel for how the Dutch enjoy skating and being outdoors in winter. I noticed that there wasn't an automobile anywhere--just horse-drawn carts and sleighs. I wonder how World War II changed all of that. A lovely slice of a time and a place preserved in words and pictures, thankfully reprinted to be enjoyed by today's children. Recommended!
April 2, 2020
What a charming story!
Set in Holland, nine-year-old twins Evert and Afke set off to school one day little expecting that their teacher has a wonderful surprise for the class. A skating picnic at the end of the week! The children make plans and talk of nothing else - and their growing anticipation is infectious! When the big day arrives, it is everything and more that the children had hoped for.
With such darling color illustrations of Dutch children in traditional costumes skating and having snowball fights, and a strong, rich narrative of warm, flaky Dutch pastries, hot cocoa and charming Dutch hospitality, this book will have you and your listeners jealous of the children's wonderful day!
This was a Newbery Medal runner-up in 1935. It's kind of a picture book ... but with a whole lot of text! You'll probably want to pace yourself and read it in a few sittings. And there are chapter break-ups to help with that too.
I highly recommend this story!
Ages: 6 - 12
Cleanliness: nothing really to note.
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Set in Holland, nine-year-old twins Evert and Afke set off to school one day little expecting that their teacher has a wonderful surprise for the class. A skating picnic at the end of the week! The children make plans and talk of nothing else - and their growing anticipation is infectious! When the big day arrives, it is everything and more that the children had hoped for.
With such darling color illustrations of Dutch children in traditional costumes skating and having snowball fights, and a strong, rich narrative of warm, flaky Dutch pastries, hot cocoa and charming Dutch hospitality, this book will have you and your listeners jealous of the children's wonderful day!
This was a Newbery Medal runner-up in 1935. It's kind of a picture book ... but with a whole lot of text! You'll probably want to pace yourself and read it in a few sittings. And there are chapter break-ups to help with that too.
I highly recommend this story!
Ages: 6 - 12
Cleanliness: nothing really to note.
**Like my reviews? Then you should follow me! Because I have hundreds more just like this one. With each review, I provide a Cleanliness Report, mentioning any objectionable content I come across so that parents and/or conscientious readers (like me) can determine beforehand whether they want to read a book or not. Content surprises are super annoying, especially when you’re 100+ pages in, so here’s my attempt to help you avoid that!
So Follow or Friend me here on GoodReads! You’ll see my updates as I’m reading and know which books I’m liking and what I’m not finishing and why. You’ll also be able to utilize my library for looking up titles to see whether the book you’re thinking about reading next has any objectionable content or not. From swear words, to romance, to bad attitudes (in children’s books), I cover it all!
April 6, 2021
This is a delightful vintage children’s story. Despite its format as a picture book, it’s quite long, and took us several days to finish.
A modern teacher could never get away with taking his class on an outing like this--for starters, one of his pupils nearly drowns, and later several of them get lost. He also allows them to fraternize with strangers and throw snowballs at kids from another school. At the same time, though, this is the sort of adventure I would have imagined very happily when I was a kid. It’s also pleasant to see fictional siblings get along so well.
The author wrote this story soon after World War II, and I suspect her picture of a carefree, friendly, happy, food-filled Holland was influenced by a desire to escape the hardships her country had so recently experienced. [EDIT: I was going off a mistaken memory when I wrote that. Let it be a lesson to me to check the copyright date!] It's also noticeable that she overemphasized gender roles in a way that will rub many modern readers the wrong way, but seems not unusual in books written during this decade (I have no problem whatsoever with traditional gender roles, but even I noticed the overly-pointed tone).
Again, though, a lovely story, and one my kids enjoyed along with me.
A modern teacher could never get away with taking his class on an outing like this--for starters, one of his pupils nearly drowns, and later several of them get lost. He also allows them to fraternize with strangers and throw snowballs at kids from another school. At the same time, though, this is the sort of adventure I would have imagined very happily when I was a kid. It’s also pleasant to see fictional siblings get along so well.
Again, though, a lovely story, and one my kids enjoyed along with me.
January 21, 2019
Дуже мила історія про двох близнюків, які відправляються з класом на експедицію на ковзанах по замерзлих каналах в сусіднє нідерландське містечко! Звичайно, що з ними трапляється багато веселих пригод, добрих людей на шляху, справжніх друзів та всіляких смаколиків, як ото сніжні млинці чи pofferjes.
Так як я закохана в Нідерланди, то цілу книжку мріяла мати таку ж чудову шкільну пригоду. Однозначно, прочитаю ще щось цього автора!
Ділюся безкоштовним ресурсом: https://digital.library.upenn.edu/wom....
Так як я закохана в Нідерланди, то цілу книжку мріяла мати таку ж чудову шкільну пригоду. Однозначно, прочитаю ще щось цього автора!
Ділюся безкоштовним ресурсом: https://digital.library.upenn.edu/wom....
May 27, 2017
This review also appears on my blog, Read-at-Home Mom.
Published in picture book format, but written at the middle grade level, and divided into chapters, this brief tale tells of Dutch twins, Evert (a boy) and Afke (a girl), who go with their classmates and Teacher on a day-long skating picnic. The ordinary day is punctuated along the way by various extraordinary happenings, including an encounter with a real artist, an injury, a feast of snow pancakes, and an accidental imprisonment inside an old church.
This book is a lovely slice of life tale, which is similar in some ways to Thimble Summer (1938) and Strawberry Girl (1945). Like these other titles, A Day on Skates gives a sense of the landscape and customs of the region in which it is set (Holland), while also celebrating the joy to be found in everyday events and experiences. Though it is a bit hard to believe that everything which happens in this story could truly occur to one class in just one day, the story is so charming that the reader really wants to believe in it, and easily finds herself pulled along on their journey.
I was pleased to discover that the Foreword to the book was written by Edna St. Vincent Millay. She has been a special favorite of mine, as we attended the same college and also both spent the summer between our junior and senior years at the same mountain resort some 85 years apart in time. I wondered at first why this accomplished poet was interested at all in a children's book, but my husband informed me that Millay is van Stockum's aunt by marriage. I especially enjoyed her opening line: "This is a book which mothers and fathers will sit up to finish, after the protesting child has been dragged firmly off to bed."
The writing in the story proper starts out very poetic and old-fashioned, with a meditation on the arrival of Father Frost during the night. I didn't dislike this, necessarily, but it is markedly different from the rest of the text, which is much more grounded and more appealing. Van Stockum's true talent is for capturing the importance of little things, so the moments focusing on exchanges of dialogue, or the details of food and clothing, are much more engaging, and they are what made me finish the book eagerly in one sitting.
What really makes this book so wonderful, though, are the illustrations. There are eight full-color plates, including the frontispiece, as well as black and white line drawings scattered throughout the book's six chapters. The color illustrations look like vintage Christmas cards, with their picturesque winter landscapes and crowds of young skaters dressed in old-fashioned cold-weather garb. They are all equally well done, but the picture below, from Chapter 5, is probably my favorite. I love the way the skaters form a triangle, drawing the viewer's eye under the bridge, and how the background details, such as the kids building a snowman, seem to be telling stories of their own that are never referenced by the text but are part of the book nonetheless.
I also adore the line drawings. If the larger illustrations depict the spirit of a Dutch winter, the smaller ones portray the spirits of the individual characters. I love all the little faces in this image, from Chapter 1:
As a child, I would have pored over this picture, wanting to assign each character his or her correct name and imagining conversations between and among them. I was equally charmed by this depiction of the characters' coats and wooden shoes, carefully arranged inside their classroom:
The level of detail in these pictures shows how well van Stockum knows her characters, and they add a dimension of personality to the story that is not quite captured by the text.
A Day on Skates is out of copyright and can be read free online. It's a quick story that can easily be finished in an hour, and it's perfect for those days when it's too cold to do anything but cuddle up in bed in your pajamas. The Dutch names make it a little tricky to read aloud on the fly, but the hardcover edition does have a pronunciation to help readers practice before sharing the story with a group. I highly recommend this book, and look forward to the day my girls are old enough to enjoy it with me.
Published in picture book format, but written at the middle grade level, and divided into chapters, this brief tale tells of Dutch twins, Evert (a boy) and Afke (a girl), who go with their classmates and Teacher on a day-long skating picnic. The ordinary day is punctuated along the way by various extraordinary happenings, including an encounter with a real artist, an injury, a feast of snow pancakes, and an accidental imprisonment inside an old church.
This book is a lovely slice of life tale, which is similar in some ways to Thimble Summer (1938) and Strawberry Girl (1945). Like these other titles, A Day on Skates gives a sense of the landscape and customs of the region in which it is set (Holland), while also celebrating the joy to be found in everyday events and experiences. Though it is a bit hard to believe that everything which happens in this story could truly occur to one class in just one day, the story is so charming that the reader really wants to believe in it, and easily finds herself pulled along on their journey.
I was pleased to discover that the Foreword to the book was written by Edna St. Vincent Millay. She has been a special favorite of mine, as we attended the same college and also both spent the summer between our junior and senior years at the same mountain resort some 85 years apart in time. I wondered at first why this accomplished poet was interested at all in a children's book, but my husband informed me that Millay is van Stockum's aunt by marriage. I especially enjoyed her opening line: "This is a book which mothers and fathers will sit up to finish, after the protesting child has been dragged firmly off to bed."
The writing in the story proper starts out very poetic and old-fashioned, with a meditation on the arrival of Father Frost during the night. I didn't dislike this, necessarily, but it is markedly different from the rest of the text, which is much more grounded and more appealing. Van Stockum's true talent is for capturing the importance of little things, so the moments focusing on exchanges of dialogue, or the details of food and clothing, are much more engaging, and they are what made me finish the book eagerly in one sitting.
What really makes this book so wonderful, though, are the illustrations. There are eight full-color plates, including the frontispiece, as well as black and white line drawings scattered throughout the book's six chapters. The color illustrations look like vintage Christmas cards, with their picturesque winter landscapes and crowds of young skaters dressed in old-fashioned cold-weather garb. They are all equally well done, but the picture below, from Chapter 5, is probably my favorite. I love the way the skaters form a triangle, drawing the viewer's eye under the bridge, and how the background details, such as the kids building a snowman, seem to be telling stories of their own that are never referenced by the text but are part of the book nonetheless.
I also adore the line drawings. If the larger illustrations depict the spirit of a Dutch winter, the smaller ones portray the spirits of the individual characters. I love all the little faces in this image, from Chapter 1:
As a child, I would have pored over this picture, wanting to assign each character his or her correct name and imagining conversations between and among them. I was equally charmed by this depiction of the characters' coats and wooden shoes, carefully arranged inside their classroom:
The level of detail in these pictures shows how well van Stockum knows her characters, and they add a dimension of personality to the story that is not quite captured by the text.
A Day on Skates is out of copyright and can be read free online. It's a quick story that can easily be finished in an hour, and it's perfect for those days when it's too cold to do anything but cuddle up in bed in your pajamas. The Dutch names make it a little tricky to read aloud on the fly, but the hardcover edition does have a pronunciation to help readers practice before sharing the story with a group. I highly recommend this book, and look forward to the day my girls are old enough to enjoy it with me.
February 10, 2023
I struggled a bit to read this one aloud, but it got easier as I had more practice with the Dutch names. The writing is really lovely, conjuring a time and place I am completely unfamiliar with. The story and characters came vividly to life as we followed their adventures (and misadventures!) I’m looking forward to reading more of Van Stockum’s books, for sure.
February 24, 2025
A lovely book! The kind of illustrations that seems to take you back to the Holland of yesteryear, and a charming writing style that draws the reader in, even if they're an adult🙄. I recommend this book highly for children, for adults, and for those in-between!
January 16, 2024
A perfect read for a frigid and snowbound few days at home!
April 21, 2011
I love this author and this was a beautiful story of a day on skates. It would be fun to read on a winter's day while snow falls outside and you sit inside and sip hot cocoa. However, don't look to this book as a great feminist novel. Be prepared to watch the girls shriek as they're teased, get tired while skating, cook the meals and do the cleaning. The boys did shovel snow, but it was more playing in the snow than actual work. Oh, well, it's old, and quaint, and sweet.
August 10, 2024
We were so captivated by this book with its beautiful writing and gorgeous illustrations (which included original paintings by the author, Hilda van Stockum). It is a simple story about a lovely Dutch tradition of a skating picnic, but it was told with such rich detail and with so much love. The author's love for children and of Holland - its people, culture, landscapes, and history - shines through in her writing. Reading this was a breath of fresh air, a much needed escape from our modern day's preoccupation with busy-ness and overstimulating entertainment. To spend a day exploring the country; traveling by skating on canals, lakes, and streams; admiring the sights and sounds of nature; enjoying the tastes of traditional street foods and home cooking; and just being with friends sounds divine. This wonderful book about a wholesome, beautiful day might have been meant to be merely descriptive, but I can't help but think that it ought to be prescriptive as well. We would all do well to spend many days much like the one so lovingly and skillfully described in "A Day on Skates."
January 12, 2024
I’m giving this a bit of a bump for being 90 years old and still delightful. If more modern, I might give it only four stars. But I’ve been slogging through some rather less-fun dated children’s books lately and this was so wonderful in comparison, I give it a full five stars. It is a charming story with lovely illustrations. The children feel plausible, as do their relationships, stakes, and adventures. Would I prefer it to not relegate the sister’s primary role to falling behind and crying, being invited to the boy’s game only as a cook? Yes. There are other moments and terms like this that date the book, but I think it holds up rather well, while still telling a cute story (especially in comparison!).
November 3, 2018
2.75 stars. Simple tale set in early winter in the Netherlands, the story follows two twins on a school outing. Their class goes ice skating on the recently frozen canal, adventures ensue as they skate from one town to another. The boys are hellions, the girls are, well, boring. The writing is unexceptional, so is the story; what makes the book are the line drawings and color illustrations. Those are truly beautiful. I read this for my 2018 Reading Challenge and my Newbery Challenge (Honor Book 1935).
February 27, 2025
I read this aloud with my 4 year old and we both enjoyed it! I didn’t find the annunciation guide in the back until the end of the book, so there was some googling of how to pronounce some of the Dutch words and names. Reading it in February seemed very fitting! While not a long book, some of the chapters did get long so we had to split it up a bit more. Overall a charming story and good read aloud with beautiful illustrations!
March 19, 2021
Not your average picture book, this sweet story is six chapters long and takes a few sittings to read. It would be fun to share with little ones in the wintertime, and learn a little bit about Dutch culture into the bargain.
April 2, 2018
3.5⭐️
August 27, 2019
Wonderful bedtime story to stretch over a few nights. Wonderful slice of Dutch culture.
January 28, 2021
A delightful short chapter book that gave us a picture into the Dutch world of skating.
February 3, 2022
(with Ben & Mabry)
May 26, 2022
A fun story that encompasses the school classes' skating adventures during one day. The Dutch culture is well interwoven into the story, and the illustrations are a great addition.
February 2, 2023
My boys found it entertaining. Nice imagery. Good wholesome children's book.
March 18, 2023
This is a delightful little story about Dutch twins Evert and Afke who go in a skating party with their class. Accidents and adventures ensue, new friends are made.
March 23, 2023
Enjoyable winter read aloud for children.
August 8, 2023
A cute story about a classroom that goes on a field trip by skating over to the next town. Some of the students have an adventure and all works out in the end. Very sweet.
December 4, 2023
This was such a sweet and simple read aloud story!
Want to read
June 13, 20251935 Newbery honor book
March 5, 2021
Pure delight!
December 7, 2022
Evert and Afke are twins who live with their parents and go to a Dutch school. When the frost starts, their teacher tells them they might go skating on Friday. Evert finds out his friend, Jan, has had his skates taken away for a bad report card, and he asks Jan's father, the Burgomaster, if Jan can still go on the skating picnic with the class. The Burgomaster relents and allows Jan to go. Evert wonders why Simon is so shy as the students begin their skating trip. They stop to have a snack of hot chocolate and spice cakes. They come across an artist. Evert falls in the water. Simon helps rescue him, and the class winds up at a farmhouse with a woman named Mrs. Sjollema who makes them all snow pancakes.
On the way back, Evert and his friends, Jan and Okke, decide they are going to be explorers like Robinson Crusoe. Simon wishes he had friends. The children stop at a marketplace, and the Snaek and Elst children have a snowball fight. The children tour a church. Evert, Jan, and Okke kidnap Simon to be their friend, and they all wind up locked in the church tower. The teacher and class can't find them anywhere. The boys figure out how to get the church bell to ring, and they are rescued. Mr. De Wit takes them all out for coffee. A sleigh comes along to take all the children home. Evert asks his father if he can have a piece of land for his friends to play on for their secret club.
I liked this book. I thought the story and the illustrations were both charming.
On the way back, Evert and his friends, Jan and Okke, decide they are going to be explorers like Robinson Crusoe. Simon wishes he had friends. The children stop at a marketplace, and the Snaek and Elst children have a snowball fight. The children tour a church. Evert, Jan, and Okke kidnap Simon to be their friend, and they all wind up locked in the church tower. The teacher and class can't find them anywhere. The boys figure out how to get the church bell to ring, and they are rescued. Mr. De Wit takes them all out for coffee. A sleigh comes along to take all the children home. Evert asks his father if he can have a piece of land for his friends to play on for their secret club.
I liked this book. I thought the story and the illustrations were both charming.
January 15, 2015
I thought that this was a really cute book. The whole part about Simon I think could have been a lot better. Great idea - orphan with no friends but wants them but is a bit stand-offish - able to join the gang.
I think books with no 'bad guys' are fun sometimes, and this book was definitely fun. The pictures were great too, showing traditional houses, kitchens, clothing, activities, etc. of the Dutch people of the era. Which era? I'm guessing early 1900s, but it's really quite hard to tell.
However, with the Simon part leaving much to be desired, the book lacked the emotional quality that seems to be intended. 3 stars for fun - but nothing else really.
I think books with no 'bad guys' are fun sometimes, and this book was definitely fun. The pictures were great too, showing traditional houses, kitchens, clothing, activities, etc. of the Dutch people of the era. Which era? I'm guessing early 1900s, but it's really quite hard to tell.
However, with the Simon part leaving much to be desired, the book lacked the emotional quality that seems to be intended. 3 stars for fun - but nothing else really.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 40 reviews