The Tower by the Sea

by Meindert De Jong, Barbara Comfort (Illustrator)

An old woman who lives with a magpie and a cat is accused of witchcraft by the hysterical, superstitious inhabitants of a small Dutch village, but an action of the cat and the wisdom of the woman bring the people to their senses.

Genres: Childrens, Middle Grade

113 pages, Hardcover

Published January 28, 1986

About the author

Meindert De Jong was an award-winning author of children's books. He was born in the village of Wierum, of the province of Friesland, in the Netherlands.

De Jong immigrated to the United States with his family in 1914. He attended Dutch Calvinist secondary schools and Calvin College, in Grand Rapids, Michigan, and entered the University of Chicago, but left without graduating.

He held various jobs during the Great Depression, and it was at the suggestion of a local librarian that he began writing children's books. His first book The Big Goose and the Little White Duck was published in 1938.

He wrote several more books before joining the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, serving in China. After the war he resumed writing, and for several years resided in Mexico. He returned for a time to Michigan. After settling in North Carolina, he returned to Michigan for the final years of his life.

Reviews

[Emma Filbrun · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a book that I started to read to my children with no idea whatsoever of the contents. A couple of times, as I read it, I stopped and flipped ahead a few pages to determine if I wanted to keep on reading or not, because it talked so much about superstitions and the old woman being accused of being a witch. However, I was glad, in the end, that we read it. This is such a vivid picture of what can happen when people panic and act out of fear. It was such a timely read for us, with the panic around us of COVID-19. We're seeing people acting irrationally around us, and this book is a good warning not to let fear rule us.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

DeJong's Wheel on the School is one of my favorite children's books ever, so whenever one of his books turns up in my life I grab it with glee.

Sadly, this one is a bleak book, and though the ending is sort of a happy one, or at least not a tragedy, there is such cruelty and pain throughout that it is hard to read. Or at least it was for me, though I loved the wise old woman and her cat and her magpie very much indeed.

I wonder what I would have felt had I read it when I was 8 or 9.

[Sally Kong · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oof. The beginning moments were sad and beautiful with the introduction of some charming and misunderstood characters then I felt so so so distressed and irritated by the stupidity of their village peeps but at least there was closure. I still think I need to get some ice cream to ease myself though

[SusanwithaGoodBook · Rating 3 out of 5]

I bought this at a used book sale because I loved DeJong's story, "The Wheel on the School," and remember it fondly from my homeschooling days. However, this book isn't much like TWotS other than being well-written and emotionally moving. TWotS is a fun, uplifting story, but this story is distressing, sad, and nightmare-inducing. It's not much like other children's literature written these days.

Yes, it's a cautionary tale of what can happen when superstition and prejudice take hold, rumors spread, and mobs form. For that reason, it's a good book, but it's not one I can recommend for young children, though perhaps it would be good for pre-teens and teens to see what can happen when people don't stop and think.