Rennefarre: Dot's Wonderful Travels and Adventures
by Tamara Ramsey, translated by
Malve von Hassell
published by Two Harbors
2012
ISBN 978-1-938690-38-9
Why Read?: Review
Challenges: Standalone, YA/MG Fantasy, A to Z, 100 Books in a Year
Rennefarre: Dot’s Wonderful Travels and Adventures
was originally written by Tamara Ramsey in 1941. While it has gone through many editions in
Germany, Malve von Hassell has provided readers with the first English
translation of this children’s fantasy.
On
Midsummer’s Eve, Dot is upset about having to stay home and watch her siblings
while her parents get to attend the bonfire.
Thinking she can sneak out while her brother and sister sleep, Dot
crawls through the meadows to the bonfire.
However, along the way, a Rennefarre flower falls into her shoe,
rendering her invisible to humans. While
her family cannot see or hear her, she finds that she can hear and see animals
and spirits. This ability leads on her a
long, adventurous journey back into her own world as she tries to help as many
as she can along her path.
Rennefarre
has a very interesting concept, but it feels like some of the true magic may be
lost in translation. Some passages flow
nicely, while others seemed bogged down with explanations and simplistic
wording. Monica Minto’s illustrations
are a nice touch and provide a break to a rather long children’s tale. Some of the German editions were broken up
into multiple volumes, and even though this version is translated from an
abridged one, I cannot help but think it would benefit from being broken down
into more sizeable chunks for a younger reader.
The “Chronicle of Major Historic Events” and glossary at the end are
very helpful, though.
Rennefarre: Dot’s Wonderful Travel and
Adventures can make a great bedtime story, especially since the chapters
are broken into many parts. Children
will definitely enjoy Dot’s magical world.
Hallo. Thank you for an honest and fair review. I really appreciate it. Malve
ReplyDeleteRicki, thanks for the review of Malve's book.
ReplyDelete