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Rasmus
Jubilæumsudgave af den første bog om strudsen Rasmus, hvor han kommer ud af ægget i Afrika og snart bliver så stor, at han kan færdes rundt på egen hånd i den varme ørken. Da han en dag ser en bil komme rullende hen over sandet, bliver han frygtelig bange, og på ægte strudsemanér stikker han hovedet i en busk. Men han bliver alligevel fanget af tre mænd, som kører ham til Zoologisk Have i København. Rasmus er meget ked af det og lider af hjemve, indtil han får øje på alle sine venner fra Afrika i de andre bure ...
- GenresChildrens
47 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
December 27, 2009
This was a gift from a good friend of mine for my birthday, inspired by a conversation we had about our favourite children's books (from when we were kids). This was one of hers, and I'm thrilled to have a copy. It is in Danish, but she also sent me a translation.
Rasmus is an ostrich, born in Africa, happily spending his days roaming the land when he is captured and sent to a zoo in Denmark. The days and weeks are repetitive and he misses his friends - the giraffe, the elephant, even the Negro [this was written in the 40s:]. He and the zookeeper cry together. But look! His friends are here in the zoo - the elephant, the giraffe, the rhino, the lion and the hippo, all his friends from Africa!
The book is lovely - illustrated by the author with lots to see and notice in the details. The story is endearing but I'm not completely sure what the message is - don't worry about zoo animals, they're awfully happy? Maybe it's just an attempt to reassure us? But don't expect a story written in the 40s to have the same sentiments as one written today. I have a few books that are quite old in that way, including a collection of short stories about a "Negro" boy that once belonged to my grandfather or my father, I forget which. I certainly didn't read them, as a child, and think that the attitudes etc. were contemporary, and I wouldn't be worried about my own (hypothetical, at this point) child reading Rasmus - it'd be quite the discussion starter, actually - but I can understand why this book wouldn't get printed in America, for instance. Especially with one of the illustrations being of a happy black family, androgynous, wearing colourful shorts, with wiry black hair and giant, smiling red lips - and cacti in the background! (I remember watching a David Attenborough episode on cactus plants and I don't recall there being any in Africa?) But it's more dangerous to pretend that these depictions never existed.
Rasmus is an ostrich, born in Africa, happily spending his days roaming the land when he is captured and sent to a zoo in Denmark. The days and weeks are repetitive and he misses his friends - the giraffe, the elephant, even the Negro [this was written in the 40s:]. He and the zookeeper cry together. But look! His friends are here in the zoo - the elephant, the giraffe, the rhino, the lion and the hippo, all his friends from Africa!
The book is lovely - illustrated by the author with lots to see and notice in the details. The story is endearing but I'm not completely sure what the message is - don't worry about zoo animals, they're awfully happy? Maybe it's just an attempt to reassure us? But don't expect a story written in the 40s to have the same sentiments as one written today. I have a few books that are quite old in that way, including a collection of short stories about a "Negro" boy that once belonged to my grandfather or my father, I forget which. I certainly didn't read them, as a child, and think that the attitudes etc. were contemporary, and I wouldn't be worried about my own (hypothetical, at this point) child reading Rasmus - it'd be quite the discussion starter, actually - but I can understand why this book wouldn't get printed in America, for instance. Especially with one of the illustrations being of a happy black family, androgynous, wearing colourful shorts, with wiry black hair and giant, smiling red lips - and cacti in the background! (I remember watching a David Attenborough episode on cactus plants and I don't recall there being any in Africa?) But it's more dangerous to pretend that these depictions never existed.
Displaying 1 of 1 review