Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver facts for kids

Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver (German: Jim Knopf und Lukas der Lokomotivführer) is a fantasy novel for children. It was written by Michael Ende. The main characters are Emma, a steam locomotive, her driver Luke, and a young boy named Jim Button. They go on many exciting adventures together.

The story starts and ends on a tiny, make-believe island called Morrowland (German: Lummerland). The book was first published in 1960. It won the German Young Literature Prize in 1961. This book became one of the most popular German children's books after World War II. It has been translated into 33 other languages. A second book, Jim Button and the Wild 13, continues the story.

Michael Ende said he didn't write the book just for kids. He wrote it for himself. Many publishers first said no to the book before it was finally printed.

Story of Jim Button

Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver

The story starts on Morrowland, a very small island. It has just enough room for a palace, a train station, and some train tracks. There is also a grocery store, a small house, a king, two people who live there, a locomotive named Emma, and her driver, Luke.

One day, the postman delivers a package with a hard-to-read address. Inside, they find a black baby! The islanders adopt the baby and name him Jim Button.

As Jim grows up, the King worries that the island is too small for everyone. He tells Luke that Emma, the locomotive, must leave. Luke is sad about this. He decides to leave the island with Emma. Jim, who heard the news, decides to go with them. They turn Emma into a boat and sail away at night. They eventually reach the coast of Mandala, a country like ancient China.

In Mandala's capital, Ping, they meet a small boy named Ping Pong. He tells them the Emperor is sad because his daughter, Princess Li Si, has been kidnapped. She is held in the Dragon City. Jim and Luke offer to help. They find clues that connect Li Si's kidnapping to Jim's own arrival on Morrowland. The clues mention Mrs. Grindtooth, the Wild 13, and Sorrowland. Now, Jim and Luke have another reason to go to Dragon City in Sorrowland. They want to find Mrs. Grindtooth.

After a long and dangerous trip, they reach Dragon City. On their way, they meet two new friends. One is Mr. Tur Tur, who looks like a giant from far away but is actually normal-sized. The other is Nepomuk, who is half-dragon. Jim and Luke free Princess Li Si and many other children. These children were kidnapped by pirates, the Wild 13, and sold to Mrs. Grindtooth. She made them work hard in her school.

Jim and Luke take Mrs. Grindtooth with them as they travel back on the Yellow River. In Mandala, they get a big welcome. They also hear surprising news: Mrs. Grindtooth is about to become a Golden Dragon of Wisdom! And the people of Morrowland want Jim and Luke to come back.

Mrs. Grindtooth, now changed, gives them advice. The Emperor also helps them get a floating island. They name it New-Morrowland. This will be Jim's home when he grows up. Jim and Luke return to Morrowland. Jim and Li Si get engaged. Jim also gets his own small locomotive, which he names Molly.

Jim Button and the Wild 13

Jim Button and the Wild 13 is the second book. It finishes the story from the first book.

A year after the first adventure, life on Morrowland is peaceful. But then the postman crashes his boat into New-Morrowland in the dark. Everyone agrees the island needs a lighthouse. Jim remembers Mr. Tur Tur, who looks like a giant from far away. Jim and Luke decide to invite Mr. Tur Tur to Morrowland. He can be a living lighthouse!

Jim and Luke sail with Emma and Molly to the desert where Mr. Tur Tur lives. They stop to help a mermaid named Sursulapitschi and her father, Lormoral, the king of the seas. This leads them to the Magnetic Cliffs. These cliffs can turn their magnetic pull on and off. When on, they light up the sea floor, but they also pull ships in. Someone needs to make sure ships are safe when the lights are on.

Sursulapitschi is also worried. Her fiancé, a "turtle man" named Ushaurischuum, must fix the Crystal of Eternity. He needs help from a creature of fire, but merpeople are at war with fire creatures.

Using the special rocks from the cliffs, Jim and Luke turn Emma into a flying vehicle. They call it the "Perpetumobile" because it can move forever. They fly over the Crown of the World to get Mr. Tur Tur. In the desert, they also find their half-dragon friend Nepomuk. He had to leave Dragon City after helping them catch Mrs. Grindtooth. Jim and Luke convince Nepomuk to come with them. He can guard the Magnetic Cliffs.

At the cliffs, they meet Sursulapitschi and Ushaurishuum. Nepomuk and the turtle man become friends. This helps them fix the Crystal of Eternity.

Meanwhile, Jim's locomotive Molly, left at the cliffs, is taken by the pirates called the Wild 13. Luckily, the former Mrs. Grindtooth, now a Golden Dragon of Wisdom, wakes up in Mandala. She gives Jim and Luke information. She also tells Jim how to find out about his past. With the Emperor's help, Jim and Luke, along with Princess Li Si (who sneaks along), go to find the Wild 13 and rescue Molly.

They fight the pirates, but the pirates are too strong. Molly is lost at sea. Everyone but Jim is captured and taken to the pirates' home, Castle Stormeye. This castle is on a rock in the middle of a never-ending hurricane.

Jim secretly gets into the fortress. He outsmarts the pirates and becomes their leader. It turns out Jim is the last descendant of Caspar, one of the Three Kings. Mrs. Grindtooth had sunk their kingdom under the ocean long ago. Only by sinking Castle Stormeye will the kingdom rise again.

In the end, the Wild 13 sacrifice their fortress. Jim's old kingdom comes back up from the sea. And to everyone's surprise, Morrowland is on top of the kingdom's highest mountain!

All the families whose children Jim and Luke saved from Dragon City come to live in the new country. Jim marries Li Si. The merpeople return Molly to Jim, her metal body now changed into the Crystal of Eternity. The Wild 13, now good, stay in Jim's kingdom as protectors. Mr. Tur Tur goes to live on Morrowland as the world's biggest lighthouse.

Places in the Story

Morrowland, where the story starts, is like a small, old-fashioned town. It has a king, a shop owner, and a worker. The books seem to take place around the 20th century. But they also have old things mixed with new ones. For example, China is still an empire, but there are also telephones and postal services.

There are many made-up places, like the "Crown of the World," a huge mountain range. There are also the "Magnetic Cliffs." Some places are based on real ones, like the Himalayas. Others are from legends, like the magnetic cliffs in the Voyages of Sinbad the Sailor and a beautiful lost city under the sea, like Atlantis. China is shown in a magical way. In later German books, its name was changed to Mandala.

In Morrowland, people live a simple, peaceful life, but they have some modern things. The rest of the world, though, is full of fantasy. Children read Jim Button when dragons feel as real as dinosaurs. This mix of real and fantasy is seen in many ways. In Morrowland, Jim is a normal child. He plays outside and doesn't like to wash. But outside Morrowland, he goes on adventures, meets new cultures, fights a dragon, and saves a princess.

Characters in Jim Button

Jim Button (Jim Knopf)

The main hero of the story. He is best friends with Luke, the engine driver. Jim grows up on Morrowland with Mrs. Whaat. He wants to be an engine driver too. His name comes from how he always tore holes in his pants. Mrs. Whaat added a button so they could be opened instead. Even after becoming a king, he still loves driving a locomotive.

Luke (Lukas)

The engine driver on Morrowland and Jim's closest friend. Jim is the adventurous youth, while Luke is the experienced and practical one. He can solve almost any technical problem. He is very strong and can spit a loop. He often smokes his pipe when he is thinking or feeling strong emotions.

Princess Li Si

The daughter of the Chinese Emperor. She is quite strong-willed, especially about following rules. She looks up to Jim for his bravery and smarts. She is very good at reading and writing, even though Jim doesn't like to learn those skills at first.

Emma and Molly

Luke and Jim's tank locomotives. Emma is very sensitive. She shows her feelings about Luke's mood by whistling and puffing. Molly is smaller and younger than Emma.

Mrs. Whaat (Frau Waas)

She owns the grocery store on Morrowland. She is Jim's adopted mother. She loves Jim very much and worries about him when he is on adventures. She is great at making sweets, especially ice cream and Gugelhupf (a type of cake).

King Alfred the Quarter-to-Twelfth (König Alfons der Viertel-vor-Zwölfte)

The king of Morrowland. He is named after the time he was born. He is kind and means well, but he can get nervous and forgetful when stressed.

Mr. Sleeve (Herr Ärmel)

A person who lives on Morrowland. He is often seen taking a walk, wearing a bowler hat and carrying an umbrella. He is very polite, educated, and smart. Everyone on the island likes him. He later becomes Jim Button's teacher.

Mr. Tur Tur

This "illusory giant" (Scheinriese) is a kind and humble person. He is a vegetarian. He lives alone because of his unusual nature. From far away, he looks like a giant, which scares people. So, he lives in an oasis in the desert called "The End of the World."

Nepomuk

He is half-dragon because his mother was a hippopotamus. He still looks a bit like his mother. Other pure-blood dragons in Sorrowland don't accept him. He tries to act like a "real" dragon by being scary, but he isn't really mean. He helps Ushaurishuum create the Crystal of Eternity and later guards the Magnetic Cliffs.

Ping Pong

A very young and tiny Chinese boy. His head is the size of a ping pong ball. He is very smart and acts like an adult, even though he is only about a year old. He becomes the Prime Minister of China after helping Jim and Luke.

Mrs. Grindtooth (Frau Mahlzahn)

A pure-blood dragon and the main bad guy in the first story. Her name comes from the single fang that sticks out of her snout. She is very smart and knows a lot. Like all dragons, she likes to torment others. She runs a school for kidnapped human children in Sorrowland.

The Wild 13 (Die Wilde Dreizehn)

A group of pirates who all look and act exactly the same. They are scary pirates and sailors, but they are not very smart. Each one only knows one letter of the alphabet. They start as bad guys but become important characters in the second book. Even though they are called "The Wild 13," there are only 12 of them. They make a mistake in their counting!

Adaptations

Both Jim Button stories have been made into other forms. The Augsburger Puppenkiste, a marionette theater company, adapted them for television. Their first Jim Button show was in black and white in the 1960s. It was so popular that they remade it in color in the 1970s. This show is famous for its creative ideas, like using plastic wrap for water. Its theme song, "Lummerlandlied" ("Morrowland Song"), is very well known.

In 1974, the story was made into a Japanese animation. Michael Ende himself narrated and directed a dramatized audio book version. In 1998, a 52-episode cartoon series called Jim Button was made. This series added new characters and places that were not in the original books.

A movie called Jim Button and Luke the Engine Driver was released in German cinemas on March 29, 2018. It featured famous actors like Judy Winter as Mrs. Grindtooth. The movie's soundtrack also included a new version of the "Lummerlandlied."

A movie based on the second book, Jim Button and the Wild 13, was announced in 2018. Filming started in 2019. The movie was released on October 1, 2020, after a small delay due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

See also

In Spanish: Jim Botón y Lucas el maquinista para niños