When the Root Children Wake Up

by Helen Dean Fish, Sibylle v. Olfers (illustrator)

A prose adaptation of Sibylle von Olfers' classic German picture-book, Etwas von den Wurzelkindern.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1941

About the author

Helen Dean Fish (1889-1953) American writer

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally published in 1941 by Lippincott, and then reprinted by The Green Tiger Press in this newer edition in 1988, Helen Dean Fish's When the Root Children Wake Up is (to the best of my knowledge) the first version of Sibylle von Olfers' 1906 picture-book, Etwas von den Wurzelkindern ("Something About the Root Children"), to be made available to English-language readers. It pairs Fish's prose adaptation, based loosely upon von Olfers' original poem, with von Olfers' Art Nouveau style illustrations, and is a charming retelling of a story that, in German-speaking parts of the world, is considered a children's classic.

The story of the Root Children - little cherub-like beings in the care of the Earth Mother - who emerge with the coming of the Spring, decorating the flowers and tiny creatures (beetles, ladybugs, grasshoppers) for the season ahead, and surfacing upon the earth to frolic and play, this tale is the epitome of anthropomorphism, and envisions the forces of nature being assisted by child-like creatures. Those who find such things abhorrent will want to skip it, while those who enjoy them - or who appreciate similar efforts by authors such as Elsa Beskow - are recommended to obtain a copy. For my part, I sometimes like this sort of things, and then again, sometimes I don't. In the case of von Olfers' tales, I've decided that I do!

The approach used here, of pairing von Olfers' artwork with a prose adaptation of, and expansion upon the original story, is also the one favored by those responsible for the more recent The Story of the Root-Children, although that version is presented as if it were a straight translation (with von Olfers listed as the author). I prefer the decision made here, to acknowledge the act of adaptation, and recommend this version to all those readers looking for a prose edition of the story. Those searching for a translation of the original poem itself might want to take a look at Jack Zipes' Mother Earth and Her Children: A Quilted Fairy Tale .

[Adriana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thought "When the Root Children Wake Up" was a sequel to "The Story of the Root Children", but once I received it, I found that it is actually a prose adaptation of the same story using the same illustrations. At first I was disappointed, but I ended up preferring how this version is written more than "The Story of the Root Children". This adaptation gives it a more lyrical/poetic/whimsical quality; it reads more like a secret fairytale whereas "The Story of the Root Children" is written more like an American children's book with an explanatory tone and added-in jokes that seem to mean to lighten the mood unnecessarily. Comparatively, the writing of "When the Root Children Wake Up" makes the other read longwinded and cheesey. There were also two additional unillustrated passages in the former, but I didn't feel like they added much (but maybe they are more faithful to the original German story).
That being said, the printing of this adaptation is poor quality and the book itself isn't constructed very well. TSOTRC is a much prettier physical book. An odd solution I'm going to do: cut the words out of WTRCWU and washi-tape it into TSOTRC! Best of both.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this for the illustrations. They were lovely and enjoyable - some especially so - but overall they weren't quite as nice as the Snow Children illustrations.

The story was very mellow and idyllic, as expected.

Unfortunately, and perhaps I just got a bad edition, several pages were slightly blurry (like they'd had a glitch filter applied, if that helps to visualize it). The text was also very large and not centered vertically. I tried not to let those factors affect my judgement, but something to be aware of if you're looking to buy a copy. J B Lippincott Company published the edition that I read.

[Willow Redd · Rating 4 out of 5]

Based on Sibylle von Olfer's original, this is an English adaptation of Etwas von der Wurzelkindern. It includes Olfer's original illustrations.

A library sale find that I think I'll hold on to for a while.

[Inktoread · Rating 5 out of 5]

Es un libro que leí en mi infancia. Uno de mis favoritos de la época en la que aprendí a leer. Es extremadamente corto, pero es perfecto para que los niños aprendan sobre qué ocurre en cada estación del año.

La edición que tengo... tiene ya casi 30 años, pero está genial. Las ilustraciones son maravillosas, y no tienen nada que envidiar a libros similares de la actualidad. Lo recomiendo a todo aquel que quiera disfrutar de las ilustraciones y que tenga peques en casa. También es genial para regalarlo a padres de bebés y niños pequeños a los que les guste que les lean algún cuento antes de dormir.

[Victoria Clay · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is an interesting tale about how everything comes to bloom during spring. It could be used to talk about different genres of writing, i.e realistic fiction vs. fantasy. It could also be a fun book to read when talking about the seasons. The only part that I disagreed with was that it reinforced the stereotype of women sewing clothes and boys playing with bugs.

[Leaflet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely.

[April]

My edition is A Stokes Book, J. B. Lippincott Co.

[Christine · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a wonderful story!