Singing Happiness Through Life’s Bittersweet Journeys (2/3)
– Lost and Found: Separation, Reunion, and Belonging in Meindert De Jong’s The Wheel on the School and Five Other Stories
Hurry Home, Candy: A Story of Separation, Survival, and the Long Journey to Belonging
Meindert De Jong’s Hurry Home, Candy is an emotional classic children’s novel that explores the pain of separation, the struggle for survival, and the ultimate longing for reunion. Originally published in 1953, this heartwarming yet heartbreaking story follows Candy, a small stray dog who is abandoned and must navigate a world full of danger, loneliness, and fleeting moments of kindness.
Like Shadrach and The House of Sixty Fathers, Hurry Home, Candy carries one of De Jong’s most powerful recurring themes—the journey through loss and the deep desire to return home. Through rich, poetic prose and deeply felt emotion, the novel resonates with anyone who has ever loved, lost, and hoped to find their way back.
The Pain of Separation: Abandonment and Loneliness
Candy begins his life with warmth, love, and security—a home where he belongs. But his world is shattered when he is abandoned and left to fend for himself.
“Candy did not understand. He waited. He waited for his boy to come back, for the hands that once held him, for the voice that once called his name. But no one came.”
This moment of forced separation is devastating. It is not just about losing shelter or food—it is about losing the connection that makes life feel safe. Just like Davie longing for Shadrach or Tien Pao searching for his family in The House of Sixty Fathers, Candy’s journey begins with loss.
For a dog, love is simple and unconditional. But for humans? Sometimes love is careless, fleeting, or full of unspoken decisions that a child—or a dog—cannot understand.
“Where was home? He did not know. He only knew that he had once belonged. And now he did not.”
The Journey Through Hardship: Surviving Without Belonging
Alone, Candy faces hunger, danger, and the constant struggle to survive. He is chased away, mistreated, and barely escapes disaster multiple times. Yet, even in the harshest moments, he finds glimpses of kindness—fleeting, uncertain, but enough to keep hope alive.
“There were hands that fed him. But there were also hands that struck him.”
This is the heart of the separation theme in Hurry Home, Candy—not just the physical distance from a home, but the emotional uncertainty of whether a home still exists at all.
Does someone still want him? Is there a place in the world where he belongs?
Much like Rasmus running away from the orphanage, Candy learns that the world can be beautiful and cruel. But unlike Rasmus, he has no voice to call out—only his unwavering instinct to keep searching.
“He ran because he had to. Because somewhere, somehow, there must still be home.”
The Reunion: Finding Love After Loss
Just when it seems as if Candy might be lost forever, fate intervenes. He finds himself drawn to a boy, one who sees him not as a stray, but as something more.
“The boy knelt down and whispered, ‘You can come home now, Candy.'”
This moment of reunion is not just about finding shelter—it is about finding belonging. Just like Shadrach returning to Davie or Rasmus finding a family that truly wants him, Candy’s story is a testament to love that endures, even after loss. It is a reminder that even when the world is unkind, even when the road is long, home is always waiting somewhere—if we just keep searching.
The Wheel on the School: A Journey of Separation, Discovery, and the Power of Community
A Small Village with a Big Dream
Meindert De Jong’s The Wheel on the School (1954) is a Newbery Medal-winning classic that tells a story of hope, persistence, and the unexpected ways in which separation and reunion shape lives. Though the book is often remembered for its charming tale of a small Dutch village working together, at its heart, it is about things lost and found—traditions, friendships, and even the return of storks to a place that had long been empty.
Set in the quiet fishing village of Shora, the story follows a group of six schoolchildren who embark on a seemingly simple yet deeply meaningful mission—to bring storks back to their village by placing a wheel on the school roof for them to nest on. Along the way, they discover that reuniting with the past sometimes requires breaking away from what is familiar.
A Village Without Storks, A Story Without Answers
The children of Shora are curious, restless, and eager for something beyond their ordinary lives. When their teacher asks them why their village has no storks, it sparks an idea—a question that turns into a mission.
“But why don’t we have storks in Shora?” Lina had asked. And the teacher had answered, “That is a very interesting question.”
For generations, storks had been a part of the village, but at some point, they disappeared. No one knows exactly why, just as people often don’t notice when something precious is lost—until someone asks the right question.
The missing storks are more than just birds—they represent a lost connection to nature, to tradition, and even to hope itself. The children’s quest to bring them back mirrors the way people, too, can drift apart from their roots, their dreams, and even from each other.
“Perhaps,” said the teacher, “no one thought to ask before.”
Leaving Home to Bring Something Back
Determined to find an old wagon wheel to place on the school roof, the children venture beyond their familiar surroundings. This journey marks a moment of separation—not just from their village, but from the belief that they must stay within the limits of what they know.
“But we must go out and find a wheel somewhere.”
As they explore the countryside, they meet outsiders, forgotten figures, and people long separated from the life of the village—an old man, a reclusive blacksmith, and a lonely woman who once longed to see storks again. Each encounter teaches them something new, proving that to bring something home, you must sometimes first step away from it.
Finding More Than They Expected
As the children finally find a wheel, they also discover a deeper truth—this journey was never just about the storks. It was about reconnecting people, stories, and forgotten dreams.
“The wheel is not just for the school. It is for all of Shora.”
By the time the storks return, so much more has been restored and reunited—the village has come together, forgotten friendships are renewed, and the children realize that their small question led to something much bigger.
The House of Sixty Fathers: A Child’s Journey Through War, Separation, and the Hope of Reunion
A Tale of War, Loss, and the Search for Family
Meindert De Jong’s The House of Sixty Fathers (1956) is one of the most deeply moving wartime children’s books ever written. Inspired by De Jong’s own experiences in China during World War II, this Newbery Honor-winning novel tells the gripping story of Tien Pao, a young Chinese boy who is tragically separated from his family during a Japanese invasion.
Through stunningly realistic storytelling, De Jong captures the fear of separation, the loneliness of being lost, and the unbreakable hope that drives one to find home again. In a world torn apart by war, The House of Sixty Fathers reminds us that love, kindness, and resilience can overcome even the greatest hardships.
The Pain of Separation: A Family Torn Apart
Tien Pao is just a child when the war changes everything. He and his parents live peacefully in their village until the Japanese army invades, forcing them to flee across the river to safety. But in a heartbreaking turn of events, Tien Pao—along with his beloved piglet, Glory-of-the-Republic—is accidentally carried away by a drifting boat in the middle of the night.
“He was alone. Alone in a world suddenly dark, and strange, and terribly big.”
This moment of separation is devastating—not just because Tien Pao is physically lost, but because he is too young to know if he will ever find his parents again. His sense of home is shattered, and the only thing he can hold onto is the hope that he will somehow make it back to them.
“His father had said, ‘Hold on tight, never let go.’ But how could he hold on, when there was nothing left to hold?”
The Journey Through Hardship: Survival and Strangers Who Become Family
Alone in enemy territory, Tien Pao faces starvation, exhaustion, and constant danger. He is forced to rely on his instincts and courage as he navigates a war-torn landscape, dodging soldiers and desperately searching for a way back across the river.
Yet, even in the darkest times, kindness appears in unexpected places. Tien Pao is taken in by a group of American fighter pilots stationed in China, who care for him, feed him, and treat him as one of their own.
“He had sixty fathers now, sixty great, grinning, loud American fathers.”
These pilots, despite being strangers from a different world, offer Tien Pao a temporary home. But even as they provide safety, Tien Pao never stops longing for the family he lost.
“The house was full of fathers. But still, he had no mother.”
This moment perfectly captures the bittersweet nature of separation—even when surrounded by kindness, nothing can replace the love of one’s true home.
The Reunion: Finding the Way Back Home
Despite his safety with the American pilots, Tien Pao never gives up on returning to his parents. With their help, he embarks on one final, dangerous journey across war-torn China to find his family.
“The road home was long, and frightening. But he had come so far. He would not stop now.”
When the long-awaited moment of reunion finally arrives, it is both emotional and deeply satisfying. After surviving war, hunger, and despair, Tien Pao is finally back in his mother’s arms.
“And then, suddenly, she was there. His mother. And he was home.”
This reunion is not just about returning to a physical place—it is about restoring the love, safety, and belonging that war tried to take away.