Singing Happiness Through Life’s Bittersweet Journeys (1/3)
– Lost and Found: Separation, Reunion, and Belonging in Meindert De Jong’s The Wheel on the School and Five Other Stories
In Astrid’s stories, if you read the Ronia and Rasmus’s stories, or their reviews, exploring lost and found, separation and reunion, or searching and belonging is not hard.
In her literature, some of the most powerful stories are not just about adventure and discovery, but about loss, separation, and the long journey back to belonging. In Ronia the Robber’s Daughter and Rasmus and the Vagabond, Astrid Lindgren masterfully explores how young hearts are tested by forced goodbyes, fractured families, and the longing for home, whether that home is a place, a person, or simply the right to be free and loved on one’s terms.
Ronia and Birk: Separation as Rebellion, Reunion as a Choice
Ronia grows up safe yet confined in Mattis’s fortress, believing her world is whole—until she discovers Birk, the son of her father’s sworn enemy. Their first meeting is full of hostility and competition, but they challenge everything they were raised to believe as they grow closer.
Yet Ronia’s greatest moment of rebellion is not defying her father’s rules—it is leaving him entirely. When Mattis refuses to accept her bond with Birk, she makes an irreversible choice:
“She leaped across Hell’s Gap and into a new life.”
Ronia and Birk’s separation from their families forces them to build a home in the forest. They experience the thrill of true freedom, but also the pain of being unwanted. And when winter comes, so does longing.
The eventual reunion with their families is not about returning to the past—it is about redefining what family means. Ronia refuses to become a robber, just as Birk refuses to betray his beliefs. In the end, they return not as children, but as individuals who choose love over loyalty, freedom over tradition.
Rasmus and Oskar: Separation as Loss, Reunion as Homecoming
For Rasmus, separation is not a choice—it is a reality he never asked for. Abandoned at an orphanage, he dreams of a family that will love him, but time and time again, he is passed over. Rather than wait for someone to choose him, he chooses the road, running away into the unknown.
“I didn’t want to wait anymore,” Rasmus said. “I wanted to find someone who wanted me, instead of waiting for someone to pick me.”.
On his journey, he meets Oskar the vagabond, a man without a home but full of stories. Unlike the orphanage, where he was one of many, Oskar sees him as a person, not a burden, not a charity case, but a boy with a life ahead of him.
Yet, even as Rasmus embraces the thrill of the open road, he never stops longing for belonging. His search for a home is a search for unconditional love, not just for someone to care for him, but for someone who chooses him for who he is.
And in the end, he finds it—not in wealth or grand gestures, but in the quiet, steady love of people who see him, who want him, and who will never let him go.
Separation, Reunion, and the Journey Ahead
Both Ronia and Rasmus experience separation as a turning point—a moment when they must decide who they truly are. But while Ronia fights for the right to choose her path, Rasmus searches for a place where he is already wanted.
Separation is painful, but in Lindgren’s stories, it is also necessary. It allows these young heroes to break free from expectations, test their strength, and discover what truly matters. But the most important lesson is that reunion does not mean returning to what was—it means building something new, something chosen, something stronger.
And this theme of separation and reunion, of love lost and found, is one that echoes across children’s literature. In another writer, Meindert De Jong’s works, children, much like Ronia and Rasmus, must navigate unexpected partings, long journeys, and the quiet hope that home—whatever that may be—is waiting for them in the end. Stay with us as we explore six unforgettable stories of loss, resilience, and the power of coming home.
A Quiet and Powerful Master
Meindert De Jong (1906–1991) was a beloved storyteller whose works captured the hearts of young readers with their deep emotional truths. Born in the Netherlands and later immigrating to the United States, De Jong wrote gentle yet profound stories about children facing loneliness, separation, and the search for belonging.
De Jong’s works often explore themes of separation and reunion—whether it’s a boy and his beloved dog, a family torn apart by war, or a child searching for home. Through his quiet, deeply felt narratives, he reminds us that loss and love are intertwined, and that sometimes, the journey back to what we cherish most is the greatest adventure of all.
The First Story of Shadrach: A Boy, A Promise, and A Missing Pet
Meindert De Jong’s Shadrach is a moving children’s classic that explores the pain of separation and the joy of reunion through the simple yet profound bond between a boy and his pet. Published in 1953, this novel, like many of De Jong’s works, captures the emotional depth of childhood—the intensity of love, the ache of loss, and the quiet resilience of hope.
This Newbery Honor-winning story follows Davie, a young boy living on a farm, who longs for the arrival of his pet rabbit, Shadrach. But when Shadrach mysteriously disappears, Davie is left to wrestle with disappointment, fear, and the uncertainty of ever seeing his beloved rabbit again.
Through its beautifully simple prose and deep emotional truths, Shadrach speaks to any child (or adult) who has ever loved something dearly and feared losing it forever.
The Pain of Separation: Losing More Than Just a Rabbit
For Davie, Shadrach isn’t just a pet—he’s a promise. The rabbit is supposed to arrive on his birthday, a gift from his father, and Davie’s heart is already full of love before he even sets eyes on him.
“It wasn’t just a rabbit. It was his rabbit, and it was going to be the most beautiful thing in the world.”
But reality doesn’t unfold as planned. Shadrach vanishes before Davie even has the chance to hold him, and suddenly, his world tilts.
“He had waited so long, and now it was all slipping away, like a dream you try to remember but can’t catch.”
This moment of unexpected loss captures something universal—the helplessness of being a child in a world that does not always keep its promises. Davie is old enough to love deeply but young enough to believe that if he just wishes hard enough, if he just holds on tight enough, Shadrach will return.
The Journey Through Grief: Searching for What’s Lost
Davie’s loss sets him on a quiet, internal journey of hope and despair. He searches tirelessly, calling out for Shadrach, believing that if he doesn’t give up, the rabbit will come home. But as time passes, doubt begins to creep in:
“Maybe Shadrach didn’t want to be found. Maybe he had never wanted to be his rabbit at all.”
This is the heart of separation in Shadrach—not just the physical loss, but the fear that what we love does not love us back. It is a fear that many children experience in different ways—through absent parents, broken friendships, or even the loss of a beloved toy. Through Davie’s quiet heartbreak, De Jong captures the deep ache of missing something that may never return.
The Reunion: A Testament to Love and Faith
Despite the growing doubt, Davie never stops loving Shadrach. And just when he begins to accept that his rabbit might be gone forever, the unexpected happens—Shadrach returns.
“At first, he thought he was dreaming. But then he saw the small, soft shape in the moonlight, and his heart nearly burst.”
The reunion is not just a relief—it is a moment of transformation. Davie’s love was never misplaced, and his belief in their bond is ultimately rewarded. Shadrach may be just a rabbit, but his return represents something much bigger—proof that love, even when it feels one-sided, is never truly lost.
The theme of separation and reunion is central to many of Meindert De Jong’s books. In Shadrach, the pain of waiting, the fear of loss, and the joy of return are all wrapped in a simple yet profound story about a boy and his rabbit. But this theme echoes in many of De Jong’s other works:
The House of Sixty Fathers – A war-torn child searches for his family in the midst of chaos.
Along Came a Dog – A stray dog and a lonely chick form an unlikely bond, separated by fate but reunited by love.
Journey from Peppermint Street – A boy leaves home and must find his way back to where he belongs.
Each story captures the heartbreak of losing something dear, but also the quiet hope that, somehow, love will lead us back to where we are meant to be.
Why Shadrach Still Matters
At its heart, Shadrach is more than just a story about a boy and a missing rabbit. It is a story about:
The depth of a child’s love – How we can love something before we even hold it.
The ache of uncertainty – How separation teaches patience and resilience.
The power of reunion – How love, when true, always finds its way home.
For young readers, Shadrach is a gentle yet powerful introduction to the bittersweet nature of love and loss. And for parents, it is a reminder of how deeply children feel, how fiercely they hope, and how much they long for reassurance that what is loved is never truly lost.