The day I learned to tame the spiders

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The day when I learned to tame the spiders is a children's book by Jutta Richter that was awarded the German Youth Literature Prize and the LUCHS 2000 . It has been translated into several languages.

action

The main character is a 9-year-old girl who acts as the first-person narrator. She may have three playmates on her street, but she realizes early on that she doesn't really feel connected to them. There are things that she cannot confide in them, such as her fear of the basement cat or of spiders, but not least her unhappy life with her parents. Her father gave the dog to the shelter when he moved and claims that it is not homesick. He also does not tolerate contradiction and does not develop any understanding for his daughter. The girl is barely lucky with her mother. Parents share their disinterest in children and their needs with other adults who piss off anyone who does not conform to the usual norms and requires more attention.

This is especially true for Rainer, who comes from a problematic family situation and has his own mind. Everyone finds it strange. But he also chases away the cellar cat, shows the girl how to catch spiders and goes with her on a search for the rat queen. The two children develop a closeness that the girl never knew before. This friendship is of course viewed with suspicion by her other friends and adults and is ultimately forbidden. Rainer, always an outsider, hit and injured one of the other children after being provoked. The narrator has to choose between him, her first real boyfriend, and the other children and adults, and finally gives in to the pressure. She reveals her friendship with Rainer.

Remarks

The story revolves around the great topic of friendship and how difficult it can be to stand by it. The narrator also recognizes the hypocritical behavior of other people who do not want to be disturbed in their peace, and she is not yet able to reveal her convictions. But she sees the mistakes in them and feels that something separates her from the others. Because it adapts anyway, it has to pay a high price.

The book is also about the need for moral courage and that everyone needs someone who strengthens them and encourages them to do such things.

In this respect, this is a text for children from 10 and their parents, who have to empower the children to develop their own individuality.

style

The portrayal is from the first-person perspective of the girl who lives out the conflict between loyalty and adaptation. The author has the ability to convey a child's feelings and thoughts in a believable way, which also creates a certain poetry and beauty of the language. There is no false pathos and no analyzes that are not age-appropriate. The child only realizes that everyone is wrong and their heart breaks in the end.

expenditure

  • The day I learned to tame the spiders . Carl Hanser Verlag, 2000, ISBN 3-446-19896-2
  • The day I learned to tame the spiders . Deutscher Taschenbuchverlag 2002, ISBN 3-423-62119-2
  • El día en el que aprendí a domar arañas . Translated by L. Rodríguez López. Lóguez, 2001, ISBN 84-89804-37-0 (Spanish edition)
  • Ce jour-là j'ai apprivoisé les araignées . Translated by Genia Català. La Joie de lire, 2002, ISBN 2-88258-228-5 (French edition)
  • De dag dat ik spin empty temples . Lannoo, 2002, ISBN 90-209-4984-5 (Dutch edition)
  • Quando imparai ad addomesticare i ragni . Translated by Alessandro Peroni. Salani, 2003, ISBN 88-8451-239-5 (Italian edition)

literature

  • Sylvia Gredig: The day I learned to tame the spiders. A reading project for the youth book of the same name by Jutta Richter . Cornelsen, Berlin 2007, ISBN 978-3-464-60982-8 .