Nesthäkchen With White Hair facts for kids
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| Author | Else Ury |
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| Original title | Nesthäkchen im weißen Haar |
| Illustrator | Robert Sedlacek |
| Country | Germany |
| Language | German |
| Series | Nesthäkchen, volume 10 |
| Genre | Fiction/Adventure |
| Publisher | Meidingers Jugendschriften Verlag |
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Publication date
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1925 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover) |
| Pages | 191 pp (Hardcover edition) |
| Preceded by | Nesthäkchen and Her Grandchildren |
Nesthäkchen with White Hair is the tenth and final book in the popular Nesthäkchen series by Else Ury. This book, published in 1925, continues the story of Annemarie Braun, a beloved German character. The series follows Annemarie from when she was a baby all the way to her old age. This last book focuses on Annemarie's granddaughter, Marietta, as she grows up, finds love, and gets married. It also introduces Annemarie's first great-grandchild.
Contents
Marietta's Story: Love and Family
This book takes place in Berlin. Marietta, who is 26 years old, lives with her grandparents, Rudolf and Annemarie Hartenstein. She is studying to become a youth counselor, which was a popular job for modern women in the 1920s. Marietta works in a kindergarten, where the children adore her.
Family Connections and Surprises
Marietta has a cousin named Gerda, and they attend school together. Her twin sister, Anita, has grown distant from her. Marietta has a crush on Horst, her grand-uncle Klaus's son. However, Horst is interested in Anita and even travels to Brazil to be with her. Everyone expects Anita to marry Horst. But to their surprise, Anita gets engaged to Ricardo Orlando, the son of their wealthy neighbors.
One day, Marietta notices that a child at the kindergarten, Lenchen, looks a lot like Lotte. Lotte is a foundling who lives with the Hartenstein family's servants, the Kunzes. It turns out that Lenchen and Lotte are related! Lenchen's grandmother is also Lotte's grandmother. Lotte stays with the Kunzes but is happy to have found her relatives. They keep in touch.
Adventures and New Beginnings
Marietta goes with a group of children to the seaside for a relaxing trip. Meanwhile, Lotte stays at her grand-uncle Klaus's home. There, she hears that her grandfather Rudolf has become blind. Luckily, surgery helps him see again.
Later, Marietta travels to Italy with her grandparents. In Genoa, she visits relatives of her paternal grandmother. There, she meets Horst, who has returned from Brazil. They start to become closer. After a scary experience during an earthquake, Horst tells Marietta that he loves her.
The book ends happily with Horst and Marietta's wedding. It's also Annemarie and Rudolf's Golden Wedding Anniversary, celebrating 50 years of marriage! The whole family gathers for the celebration. Anita brings her baby daughter, Rosita, who is Annemarie's first great-grandchild.
In 1928, Else Ury updated a chapter in the book called "The Radio." She changed it to include the modern technology of the time.
What Kind of Book Is It?
The Nesthäkchen books belong to a German type of literature called the Backfischroman. This means "girls' novel." These books describe a young girl growing up and were written for readers aged 12 to 16. A "Backfisch" was a term for a teenage girl, usually between 14 and 17 years old.
Popular Girls' Novels
The Backfischroman style was popular from about 1850 to 1950. These stories often showed girls learning about society's rules and expectations. They usually ended with the heroine getting married and becoming a homemaker.
Besides Else Ury, other successful Backfischroman authors included Magda Trott and Emmy von Rhoden, who wrote Der Trotzkopf.
Else Ury originally planned to end the Nesthäkchen series with volume 6, Nesthäkchen Flies From the Nest, which described Nesthäkchen's marriage. However, her publisher received many letters from young fans begging for more stories. After some thought, Ury wrote four more Nesthäkchen books. She even mentioned her doubts about continuing the series in the seventh book, Nesthäkchen and Her Chicks.
About the Author: Else Ury
Else Ury was a German writer who wrote many children's books. She was born in Berlin on November 1, 1877. Her most famous character is Annemarie Braun, the "Nesthäkchen." Else Ury wrote ten books about Annemarie's life, from childhood to old age.
Her books were very successful. The Nesthäkchen stories also became a six-part TV series in 1983, based on the first three books. This TV show and new DVD versions have been enjoyed by millions of people. Else Ury passed away on January 13, 1943.
