Everything great!
Everything great! (Original English title: Brilliant ) is a children's book by the Irish writer Roddy Doyle . The original edition, illustrated by Chris Judge, was published January 29, 2015 by Macmillan Children's Books. The German first edition in the translation by Bettina Obrecht with illustrations by Rosa Linke was published by cbj Verlag on March 23, 2015 .
content
The siblings Gloria and Raymond Kelly grow up with their parents and grandmother in Dublin . One day, her mother announced that her uncle Ben would be moving in with them for a short while. That's why Gloria and Raymond should share a room. The two are very fond of their uncle Ben and are happy about the news.
But Uncle Ben has changed and is not as happy as before. Due to the economic crisis , he had to close his business and can no longer afford his house. Uncle Ben needs help. In the evening, Gloria and Raymond overhear a conversation between their parents and grandmother at the kitchen table. The grandmother claims that the "black dog" crawled on Ben and many other Dublin residents and stole the city's fool's leg. He is the cause of depression and would make people laugh.
Gloria and Raymond decide that they have to do something: they want to drive the black dog out of Dublin and give the city its fool's leg back. Together with Ernie O'Driscoll, a boy from the neighborhood, the two of them set off on the search for the black dog that same night. Many other children join them along the way. Everyone has someone around whom they want to see happy again.
The children find out that “super” is the magic word to drive the black dog away. As soon as you say it, the gloomy mood brightens and the black dog moves away from the city. In the end, the children get support from the animals in the zoo and finally manage to put the black dog on the run. And the next day people in Dublin can laugh again.
reception
The book was received positively in various media. Among other things, it was emphasized that it would give children a certain scary effect without worrying them too much and the choice of the topic was praised.
“Comfortable, scary and, for children, calming things balance each other very nicely. Form and content correspond perfectly. "
"Roddy Doyle tackles - under a unfortunately rather misleading German title - a topic that concerns many people: depression."
Web links
Individual evidence
- ↑ eselsohr - trade journal for children and youth media, March 2015, p. 8
- ↑ JvC: Everything is great ! NDR, May 3, 2015, accessed June 9, 2015 .