In an attempt to make my Christmas break as productive as possible, I made a giant to-do list (that has now reached a length of 35 tasks, hardy har har). Included among the many goals were reading several books and maintaining my German reading and speaking skills. I decided to accomplish both of these goals by reading Emil und die Deteketive (Emil and the Detectives) in German.
This book has been on my reading list ever since I stumbled across it on Amazon while searching for books to read in German. The reviews assured me that it’s an easy-to-read, classic German children’s story by Erich Kästner, an author who is also famous for Das fliegende Klassenzimmer (The Flying Classroom). Children stories have a special place in my heart, as some of my favorite memories include listening to books on tape, like Cheaper by the Dozen, The Chronicles of Narnia, Mr. Popper’s Penguins, and Snow Treasure, on long car trips and vacations. I adored reading when I was younger, and would often stay up long past my bedtime huddled under my blankets with the latest Redwall book.
Children’s books–good children’s books, at least–have the remarkable ability to speak to readers at any age. Unfortunately, it’s been awhile since I’ve sat down and read an “easy-read,” mainly because I’d forgotten what it’s like to be swept away by the innocent but astute insights and lessons bound up in the charm and simplicity of children’s books. Sitting down with Emil und die Detektive felt like a special treat as it was something that I hadn’t done in such a long time.
The story focuses on Emil, a young schoolboy, who is sent to Berlin to visit his grandmother. His mother sends him off with a stern warning not to lose the 140 marks she is sending with him–and as a responsible young boy who wants to prove his trustworthiness, Emil takes all measures to ensure he does not lose his money. But, as you might have guessed, the money ends up being stolen from him when he falls asleep on the train. The rest of the book follows Emil’s adventure of tracking down the thief, along with the help of his new friends–Gustav and the band of schoolchildren.
Reading this book from an ‘older’ perspective, I found myself less supportive of Emil’s endeavors at first. After all, he has no way to contact his grandmother and let her know he got off at an earlier stop to chase the thief, and she waits at the train station worrying about what has happened to him. At the same time, I was impressed with Emil’s confidence in his ability to navigate Berlin on his own and track down the thief–Kästner certainly paints him as a responsible, if not a bit overly worried, schoolboy. Kästner wrote children’s stories because he believed in the power of children, and the story ultimately made me reflect on the difference between reading children’s stories as an adult and as a child.
If I had read this book when I was younger, I think I would have thought less about the adults in the story or the potential dangers Emil placed himself in and more about the freedom, adventure, and heroism Emil attains by becoming a detective. Indeed, Emil reminded me that there was nothing worse as a child than an adult doubting my abilities or the agony and annoyance I felt at adults who patronized me. As an adult, it’s easy to simplify this plot and read it as just a “cute” story, but from the perspective of child like Emil, the ingenuity and power of the children in the story is empowering. Adults may have told Emil to give up or “life’s not fair” but the band of schoolchildren believe in Emil’s truthfulness and resolve to help him get his money back.
Beyond the plot, there are a number of interesting themes and characters–Emil’s adult-like worry about money, the responsibility he feels towards his single mother, the childlike, untainted sense of justice present throughout the story, and the bumbling adult policemen. The children’s camaraderie and bond they share based on being children gives a unique warmheartedness to the story. And of course, I found some of the details about Germany and stereotypes Kästner describes, humorous and familiar–such as train travel, the very German grandmother, and the landscape of Berlin.
Emil und die Detektive is a simple but heartwarming story. It’s considered Kästner’s most well-known children’s story, and English translations are easy to find online or in libraries (although I’m curious to see how it’s translated). If you’re looking for a new children’s book to read, for yourself or for someone you know, I’d recommend this.
Sarah the Adventurer 