The Wheel on the School

I was assigned to read this in college... in order to study the scientific method and how it applies to elementary schools.

Indeed, science is a strong theme in this story, but what totally got me was the idea of a village coming together for a dream (so sue me, I'm a sucker for those kinds of stories).

Here we have a class of kids who decided they want to bring storks to their village. Because we all want giant birds lying around on our roofs. But why aren't their storks? How can they get the storks to come?

This turns from a theoretical experiment into an exciting and touching adventure to make a dream come true.

Adorable and great literature indeed.

I loved this book as a child and I am so looking forward to reading it with my own kids.

[...]It lacks all the typical hooks and gimmicks prevalent in much of today's fiction for children.
This is real literature. It's beautifully written. The writer, Meindert DeJong, is logical, witty and sensitive.
I just finished reading "The Wheel on the School" aloud to my eleven year old daughter. My 16 year old son often sat down and listened. They both liked this book very much. "The Wheel on the School" may be especially enjoyed read aloud. It hasn't a plot that will sound "interesting" to many media-fed, contemporary young people, but it's less the subject than how it is treated that makes this book so entertaining. If you are looking for a book to read aloud, this one has many of the ideal criterium: It is, because of it's non-splashy premise, a book kids might not automatically pick-up, it's beautifully written, full of entertaining voices and characters and it's complex yet clearly written. All together perfect.
Literate Parents, I think you and your family will enjoy this one.

The Wheel on the School is has a great message about how people working together and never giving up can get things done, but it's a bit hard to read and has no action.

The wheel on the school is a story that would make me and my friends to work together. It is about 6 children from a fishing village called Shora. A girl called Lina starts the adventure with a little piece about storks and that's when the fun begins. I especially liked the bit where Jells tries to get the wheel from a farmer and then the farmer sees him and ow. that is one sore ear for Jella!