When the stones were still birds
The children's and youth book When the Stones Were Birds by Marjaleena Lembcke was published in 1998. It is set in Finland in the 1950s .
action
At the center of the story is Pekka, a brother of Leena, who acts as the ten-year-old first-person narrator. He was born with various adhesions and did not come out of the hospital until he was two years old, into a large family that was characterized by love and tolerance and that already had six children at home (Tuomo, Oskari, Marjaleena, Sonja, Mummo, Matti). Only after a while can he walk upright and suddenly he starts talking. “I love you” turns out to be his motto, which he holds against everyone and everything and with which he irritates many fellow men and students. He seems to be a pure fool, but he can also take a watch because the owner left it behind during PE class. When Leena explains to him that this is theft, he gives it back because he wants to be loved by the owner too.
Pekka has a special love for birds and stones. He is convinced that stones were once birds, from which he draws great security.
The parents decide to emigrate to Canada because the father hopes there will be better future prospects for himself as a craftsman. The family sells the beloved purple-painted house, most of the furniture, and says goodbye to all the neighbors. The oldest son, who works in Sweden, also comes home with all sorts of presents, including a guitar for Pekka. Then he is diagnosed with leukemia and the move is canceled. Instead, the family moves to a farm with several animals and spends what appears to be the last time with their extraordinary Pekka, who comes up with a strange saying about everything. However, the doctor made a misdiagnosis. Pekka is not terminally ill. In return, he gives the family a pregnant cow. Leena's mother is also pregnant and gives birth to a healthy child.
Audio book
The book was published as an audio book by Uccello Verlag and was named the best children's audio book of the year in 1999.
Others
The novel contains a collection of anecdotes rather than a real plot. The Finn, who has lived in Germany since 1966, wrote all of her texts in German, so no translation was necessary. No book by Marjaleena Lembcke has yet been published in Finland.
Award
The book was on the shortlist for the German Youth Literature Prize in 1999 .
The series
When the stones were still birds, it is the fourth in a series that was previously divided into six parts, in which each volume is separate and legible. In it, the author takes up experiences from her own childhood.
The individual volumes of her childhood and youth memories are:
- My Finnish Grandfather (1993)
- The Time of Secrets (1995)
- The Summer When Everyone Was In Love (1997)
- When the stones were birds (1998)
- And beyond the sea (1999)
- Farewell to the Red House (2000)
Individual evidence
- ↑ 20 years of hr2 audio book best list. Retrieved June 3, 2019 .
- ↑ Youth Literature Working Group. Retrieved June 3, 2019 .