Literature of/about central Europe & Alps, suitable for children?

[ElizaG]

All we have now is Heidi.  :001_smile:  And some folk tales from various countries, but more would be welcome.  

 

This would be for literature studies to go along with cultural geography, so the works would have to be very well written, and well translated if they're not written in English.   Fiction or non-fiction would be fine.  It's okay if they're not meant specifically for children, as long as as they don't have very heavy or adult themes.  Which rules out pretty much all the authors I can think of.  :001_rolleyes:

 

I'd like to avoid works created for a different season, such as Christmas.  And nothing that's definitely in the category of secular history or historical fiction (as we'd study those in history), but Catholic-friendly church history and saint stories would be fine. 

 

If you've looked into this, your suggestions would be appreciated.

[Monica_in_Switzerland]

This is a great William Tell picture book http://www.amazon.com/Apple-Arrow-Conrad-Buff/dp/0618128093/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1463508710&sr=8-1&keywords=apple+and+arrow

 

Also Swiss related, it might be fun to check to see if there are books written about the selection/training of the Swiss Guard at the Vatican.  

 

The Sound of Music for some great Austrian scenery shots!

 

Good luck, I can't think of much else in English!

[ElizaG]

Thank you!

 

Thinking about it some more -- we could use excerpts from some secular or religious classics that are "heavy," as long as the work is compatible with our values, and it's something we'd like the children to read in full when they're older. 

 

Poland would probably be the easiest; we could do a few lessons with copywork and discussion of quotations from 20th century saints.   

 

For other countries, I'm not sure there would be so many options.   Maybe we could just fill those ones in with the folk tales, as this study is probably only going to last a few weeks altogether.

[ElizaG]

Some more possibilities, from Bartleby.com:

 

A Harvest of German Verse, Margarete Münsterberg, ed., trans. (1916)

 

Poems of Places:  An Anthology in 31 Volumes - H. W. Longfellow, ed.,  (some translated; others written in English)

 

I came across the second one a while back, and thought it would be an excellent resource for our geography studies... then completely forgot about it, until "discovering" it again just now.    Time to do some organizing!  :hat:   

[Matryoshka]

How about The Star of Kazan, by Eva Ibbotson?  That was a lovely book, set in the Alps and Vienna.

 

Looking at Amazon's "Customers also bought" it looks like the same author has written other books set in the same area.

 

I never got around to reading them, but there's also those books by Kate Seredy (Good Master and others) that are set in Hungary.

Edited May 17, 2016 by Matryoshka

[raptor_dad]

 Depends on what you mean by Central Europe... Kate Seredy's Hungary novels, "The Good Master", "White Stag", "The Singing Tree", "Chestry Oak" etc, would be great. Likewise "Trumpeter of Krakow" could be great but a more Polish central europe.

[ElizaG]

 Depends on what you mean by Central Europe

I'm flexible on the definition.  Poland and Hungary would be fine.  :001_smile:

[ElizaG]

How about The Star of Kazan, by Eva Ibbotson?  That was a lovely book, set in the Alps and Vienna.

 

Looking at Amazon's "Customers also bought" it looks like the same author has written other books set in the same area.

 

I never got around to reading them, but there's also those books by Kate Seredy (Good Master and others) that are set in Hungary.

Thanks - The Star of Kazan looks very good.

 

And I'd forgotten about Kate Seredy.  We have those books, and also Philomena, which is for younger children and is set in early 20th century Prague.  

 

Another one that just came to mind is Otto of the Silver Hand by Howard Pyle.  It's set in medieval Germany.

 

There's also Marguerite Henry's White Stallion of Lipizza, though it's not the sort of book we'd study, and I'm not sure about the authenticity of her descriptions of the local culture.  Still, I'll put it on the shelf in case someone is interested.  :001_smile:

 

The pickings are really very slim, though I'm sure there are some excellent ones out there that aren't well known.  I think this has something to do with the lack of emphasis on geography in most US schools and homeschool curricula.   The educational market seems to be the major factor that determines which books get published, translated, or reprinted.

 

At least it's not as bad as when we were studying Australia. There was nothing in the children's section of our local B&N, or teacher's store, that would indicate that the continent even existed.  ;)  

Edited May 18, 2016 by ElizaG

[Sebastian (a lady)]

The Silver Sword (also published as Escape from Warsaw) by Ian Serralier.  Set mostly in Warsaw.

 

Anna of Byzantium (about Anna Comenius in Constantinople)

 

Banner in the Sky (I haven't read this one.  It is set in the Swiss Alps.)

 

I found this one, which looks interesting:  One-Time Dog Market at Buda

 

[Lucy the Valiant]

Banner in the Sky!

[ElizaG]

The Silver Sword (also published as Escape from Warsaw) by Ian Serralier.  Set mostly in Warsaw.

This one is really good - we read it for history.   He also wrote another one that was set in Switzerland, IIRC, but it wasn't as interesting - more of a generic action/spy story.

 

We're not looking for WWII books this time around, but it's interesting that even most of those aren't set in central Europe.  I Am David (published as North to Freedom in the US) mostly skirts around the region.  Other ones that we have are set in France, the Netherlands, and Norway. 

 

I just found a list of "children's fiction set in Europe" at librarybooklists.org, but haven't checked it out yet.  We seem to have plenty of options now anyway, between the poems, and all the books that have been recommended in this thread.   Maybe someone else will find it helpful, though.   :001_smile:

 

ETA:  It looks like the links at that site don't work.  I wonder if the list has been posted or archived somewhere else. 

Edited May 18, 2016 by ElizaG

[Sebastian (a lady)]

This one is really good - we read it for history.   He also wrote another one that was set in Switzerland, IIRC, but it wasn't as interesting - more of a generic action/spy story.

 

We're not looking for WWII books this time around, but it's interesting that even most of those aren't set in central Europe.  I Am David (published as North to Freedom in the US) mostly skirts around the region.  Other ones that we have are set in France, the Netherlands, and Norway. 

 

I just found a list of "children's fiction set in Europe" at librarybooklists.org, but haven't checked it out yet.  We seem to have plenty of options now anyway, between the poems, and all the books that have been recommended in this thread.   Maybe someone else will find it helpful, though.   :001_smile:

 

ETA:  It looks like the links at that site don't work.  I wonder if the list has been posted or archived somewhere else. 

 

I used to use the site Travel for Kids when my kids were younger.  It has highlights of countries and cities, with locals of interest to younger visitors.  It also has recommended books for each location.  You need to click around a bit, because the books listed for individual cities might differ slightly from those listed for the country in general.  (In other words, look at Czech Republic and at Prague.)

 

http://www.travelforkids.com/index.html

[Liza Q]

Take a look at Bethlehem Books

[EmilyGF]

How about Lisa and Lottie?

 

It is the book that Parent Trap is loosely based on. In the original, written by Erich Kaestner of Emil and the Detectives, the girls meet at camp in Switzerland and live in Munich and Vienna. The mom is a copyeditor and the dad is an orchestra conductor.

 

Hmmm, not high literature, though...

 

Emily

[LostintheCosmos]

Disclaimer: I haven't read it - YET. But what about bits of Belloc's Path to Rome?

[ElizaG]

I tried reading The Star of Kazan, and it's not one we'd use.  I'd put it on a level with The Midwife's Apprentice.  They might be good for entertainment, if you don't find the contents objectionable, but as a Catholic of European background, I kind of do.   In both books, the portrayals of the culture of the time - especially the religious aspects - seem skewed, and just strange.  

 

I just checked, and both authors are non-Christians.  [ETA:  Ibbotson is, anyway.  (IDK about Cushman; she went to Catholic school in the 1950s US, and had many "issues" about it, which she has apparently transferred to the characters in her historical fiction.)] 

 

Probably this is where I should get het up about cultural insensitivity, etc. ;), but I will just note my disappointment and move on.   :001_smile:

 

Thank you for all the suggestions!

Edited May 21, 2016 by ElizaG

[wintermom]

I don't remember the name of the particular book, but it was an autobiography/biography of Pope Jean Paul II. (ETA: I believe it was Pope Jean Paul II: The Biography, by Tad Szulc.)

 

He describes his childhood/teens in Poland prior to and during WWII, which was very interesting. Then, of course, goes on to his adult life mostly away from Poland in Rome. The parts about his childhood and teens might be closest to what you're looking for.

Edited May 21, 2016 by wintermom

[Kfamily]

Hmmm, maybe folk tales or fairy tales from those countries would work? Often there are picture books that retell legends and folk tales from this region.

 

Grimm's Fairy Tales

 

Hungarian Folk Tales  I haven't read this or seen this, so I can't be sure if it's appropriate or not.

 

The Pied Piper of Hamelin

 

Although, you definitely need to pre-read with fairy tales. :)

 

From the Good Mountain: How Gutenberg Changed the World by James Rumford

 

Mozart, the Wonder Boy by Opal Wheeler You could add a music study to this book or any of the Opal Wheeler books.

 

The Opal Wheeler books include Beethoven, Handel, Schumann, Haydn and more.

 

 

Edited May 21, 2016 by Kfamily

[Lori D.]

I pulled this list of nations from several maps that seemed to agree that these are the nations that are currently considered to be "Central Europe". ;) This part of Europe has varied drastically in political boundaries and names for the past 1200 years, so that makes it tough to search and find historical fiction. Also, apparently contemporary English-language authors seem to think the only fiction that can be written about Central Europe is all tied to WW2 and especially the Holocaust…

 

Hopefully others will be able to fill in some of the blanks, and will also be able to give you a wider variety for some of the countries than what I could come up with. Enjoy your Central European studies! :) Warmest regards, Lori D.

 

 

CENTRAL EUROPE

 

Germany (Prussia)

- Otto of the Silver Hand (Pyle) -- Medieval

- The Juniper Tree and Other Tales from Grimm (Segal)-- fairy tales

- Sebastian: A Book About Bach (Winter)

- Getting to Know the World's Greatest Composers series: Bach; Beethoven; Handel, Schumann (Venezia)

- Bach's Goldberg Variations (Celenza)

- Beethoven Lives Upstairs (Nichol)

- Paul Klee for Children (Vry) -- 20th century Swiss-German artist

- Adventures in Art: Dreaming Pictures (Klee) -- artist Klee guides the reader through his art dream world

- Royal Diaries: Catherine the Great (Gregory) -- teen Prussian princess Sophia becomes Russia's Catherine the Great

- Albert Einstein: Giant of 20th Century Science (Hasday) -- biography

- Escape to West Berlin (Dahlerg) -- unrest in divided Germany of 1960s

- Kids National Geographic: Germany

 

Luxembourg

 

Liechtenstein

 

Switzerland

- A Bell for Ursli: A Story from the Engadine in Switzerland (Carigiet) -- picture book folktale

- Barry the Bravest Saint Bernard (Hall) -- early reader book on rescue dog of the Alps

- The Apple and the Arrow (Buff) - OR - William Tell (Fisher) -- biography

- Heidi and sequels (Spryi)

- Banner in the Sky (Ullman) -- 20th century; climbing the Alps

- Dear Alexandra: A Story of Switzerland (Gudel) -- cultural aspects

- Look What Came From Switzerland (Harvey) -- historical/cultural

- Switzerland (Rogers)

- Kids National Geographic: Switzerland

 

the Alps

- Barry the Bravest Saint Bernard (Hall) -- early reader book on rescue dog of the Alps

- Barry (Klimo)

- Banner in the Sky (Ullman) -- 20th century; climbing the Alps

- Ice Mummy: Discovery of a 5000-year-old Man (Dubowski)

- Bodies from the Ice: Melting Glacieers and the Rediscovery of the Past (Deem)

 

Poland

- Polish Fairy Tales (Glinski)

- King Krakus and the Dragon (Domanska) -OR- The Dragon of Krakow and Other Polish Stories (Monte)

- Trumpeter of Krakow (Kelly) - Middle Ages

- Nicolaus Copernicus: The Earth is a Planet (Fradin) -- 18th century Polish astronomer

- Marie Curie (Krull) -- biography of the female Polish scientist

- Escape From Warsaw (Serraillier) - WW2, based on true events/people

- The Cats in Krasinski Square (Hess) -- WW2 Warsaw Ghetto

- P is for Poland (Mrowczynska) -- cultural aspects

- Kids National Geographic: Poland

 

Czech Republic (Bohemia)

- Tall, Wide, and Sharp-Eye: A Czech Folktale (Gabler) -- picture book

- Favorite Fairy Fales Told in Czechoslovakia (Haviland)

- Good King Wenceslas (Neale) - OR - Wenceslas: The Eternal Christmas Story (McCaughrean)

- Silver Moon (Krykorka) -- retelling of 3 operas by Czech composer Antonin Dvorak

- Prague: A Three-dimensional Expanding City Guide (Cosford) -- cultural/geographical

- Eva's Summer Vacation: A Story of the Czech Republic (Machalek) -- cultural aspects

- The Wall: Growing Up Behind the Iron Curtain -- mid-20th century; autobiographical picture book of life under Communism

- The Three Golden Keys (Sis) -- late 19th/early 20th century memories/cultural feel of old Prague (pre World Wars)

- Rivka's Way (Kanefield) -- 18th century teen girl ventures outside of the Jewish ghetto

 

Slovakia

 

Austria (Salzburg)

- Klimt and His Cat (Capatti) -- 19th century; picture book of the artist Gustav Klimt

- Magic Tree House: Moonlight on the Magic Flute (Osborne) -- 18th century, Mozart

- Who Was Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart? (McDonough) -- biography

- 39 Clues: One False Note (Korman) -- modern-day Austria/Italy adventure, with historical info on Mozart

- Gregor Mendel: The Friar Who Grew Peas (Bardoe) - biography of the 19th century geneticist

- Marie Antoinette: Princess of Versailles (Lasky) -- fictional diary of 13yo Antonia's life in Vienna before becoming France's queen

- White Stallions of Lipizzan (Henry) -- historical fiction about the Vienna school for these Austrio-Hungarian bred horses

- Horse Diaries: Maestoso Petra (Kendall) -- Lippizana horse hidden away during WW2

- Sound of Music (Von Trapp) - 20th century; autobiography of Maria Von Trapp and family

- Look What Came From Austria (Davis) -- historical/cultural

- Cultures of the World: Austria (Sheehan) -OR- Austria (Stein) -OR- other

 

Hungary

- The White Stag (Seredy) -- early Medieval - legend of the Huns and Magyars' journey to settle in Hungary

- One-Time Dog Market at Buda and Other Hungarian Folktales (Molnar)

- Philomena (Seredy) -- early 20th century

- The Good Master; The Singing Tree (Seredy) -- just prior to/ during WW1

- Boy Who Loved Math: The Improbable Life of Paul Erdos (Heiligman) -- picture book biography of the 20th century mathematical "Magician From Budapest"

- Cultures of the World: Hungary (Esbenshade) -OR- Countries of the World: Hungary (Lundrigan)

 

Slovenia

- Hidden Tales From Eastern Europe (Barber) -- 7 folktales from Croatia, Slovenia, and others

 

Croatia

- Countries of the World: Croatia (Cooper) -- cultural/historical

- Hidden Tales From Eastern Europe (Barber) -- 7 folktales from Croatia, Slovenia, and others

- Kids National Geographic: Croatia

Edited May 22, 2016 by Lori D.

[AndyJoy]

Treasures of the Snow is one set in Switzerland that I remember fondly from my childhood: https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Treasures_of_the_Snow