Elsa Beskow Quotes

″ A strange boy called September takes him on a hunt for a lost ball, meeting lots of folk along the way.”

“On their incredible journey Kelly and Kai meet a princess, rescue a knight and trick the king of the trolls.”

“Christopher often plays on his own in his garden...until one day, he discovers a whole new world.”

“Christopher learns all about the different fruits, berries and vegetables growing in his garden, and makes lots of new friends who promise to always play with him.”

“In the next room sat some little girls, knitting ski mittens with long wrislets, and embroidering lovely roses on the mittens. They, too, were working busily, but had time to look at Olle a bit, anyway.”

“But Kelly wanted to help the poor princess. ‘Let’s fly to the other shore,’ she said, ′ to find the king of the trolls.′ They flew over the sea to the other island. Kay and Kelly climbed down from the dragon’s back and headed off to find the king of the trolls.”

“inside there was a great room where King Winter sat, tall and stern, in his ice throne, with a walrus on each side. For the first time Ollie felt cold, for he was almost a little afraid of King Winter. ”

“Pelle has a lamb whose coat grows longer and longer, while Pelle’s Sunday suit grows shorter!”

“Pelle lived on a farm with his mother and father in the country. His grandmother and grandfather lived near him.”

“So Pelle and his father cut the long wool from the lamb for Pelle’s new suit. Now the wool must be combed to make it soft and smooth,′ said Pelle’s mother.”

“Six-year-old Ollie is given his first pair of real skis. As soon as the snow begins to fall he heads off into the woods and meets sparkling Jack Frost.”

“Finally, Mrs. Thaw gets her way, and the lovely snow starts to disappear. Ollie is very upset and wishes it could be winter forever.”

″... until Spring arrives one lovely day when in her carriage, pulled by butterflies.”

“At the edge of the woods he said good-by to Ollie, who came home so full of his adventure that he could hardly eat his dinner; he just wanted to talk and talk about all that he had done.”

“Pelle shears the lamb, and the wool is carded, spun, dyed and woven. Finally, the tailor makes a new suit for Pelle.”

“The wool is ready to be spun into yarn,′ said Pelle’s mother. ‘I think Grandmother will do this for you.’ So Pelle gathered all the wool in a big basket. He carried the basket of wool to his grandmother.”

“Catch it if you can,′ cried September, and he threw the ball right over Christopher’s head and down into the gooseberry bushes. Then he leapt down, laughing, from the tree and Christopher slid down after him.”

“A group of little gooseberry boys came rushing out of the bushes and started chasing after the ball. They were soon all in a heap, fighting over it. But the gooseberry girls had stayed by their bushes.”

“One day, the children were in the woodshed looking for a stick to use as a riding crop, when they found a broken umbrella. They decided it would make perfect wings for their dragon, and they fastener it to the old tree trunk.”

“The tree trunk began to creak and groan, then it rose up into the air, grunting and growling. The children held on tight so they didn’t fall off, and the dragon asked them, ‘Where shall we go?”

“At the palace, Ollie meets children helping to make Christmas presents—that is, until break time, when they rush outside for a big snowball fight.”

“Now Pelle had a little lamb for his very own. He cared for him and played with him and fed him very day.”

“Your jacket is too short and your pants are too short. You do need a new suit.′ ‘If a cut the wool from my lam,’ said Pelle, ‘can I make a suit from that?’

“Grandmother, I need a new suit,′ said Pelle. ‘Father and I sheared the wool. Mother and I combed the wool. Will you spin the wool into yarn’ Grandmother said, ‘Yes, you need a new suit!”

“Christopher didn’t have any brothers or sisters so he usually played on his own. One autumn day, he was playing with a new ball in the garden.”

“Christopher faced the boy astride the branch. The boy started to play a tune on a reed pipe. ‘You are good at that,’ said Christopher. ‘Where do you come from?”

“A terrifying dragon with sharp teeth and claws rushed towards them. Kai and Kelly ran back to their own dragon, who flew quickly into the air. The wicked dragon hissed and leaped, but he had no wings to fly.”

“The little lamb grew and grew. Soon he was a big wooly lamb. His woolly white coat grew longer and longer. Pelle also grew and grew.”

“When the thrush stopped singing, the king looked around for Sylvie. He couldn’t see her anywhere! ‘Perhaps she’s playing hide-and-seek,’ he thought. So he started searching for her in the thick bushes, prodding with his stick.”

“Sylvie was very excited to be running in the wood. ‘Everything’s so lovely and fresh and green,’ she laughed. ‘Look, is that starling?’ She hadn’t notice the long-eared hare who had been watching them. Suddenly Oskar saw the hare and chased after it.”

“Three children and their mother live in a cottage shaped like a hat on a little island in a lake. One day their mother goes to the mainland to find yarn to..... ”

“Jack Frost takes him on an adventure to the palace of King Winter. Ollie has a wonderful time in a huge snowball fight! But will Mrs Thaw return too soon for Ollie to enjoy the snow?”

“One day Pelle said to his father and his mother, ‘My lamb has a long woolly coat. But my suit is short and tight. It is too small for me.’ ‘Yes, it is,’ said his mother.”

“Princess Sylvie persuades her father, the king, to leave the palace gardens and walk in the woods. The king is unsure. What might be in the woods?”

“Princess Sylvie takes a walk through the forest, but when her dog Oskar decides to chase a long-eared rabbit, her real adventure begins!”

“Meanwhile, deep in the forest sat a big brown furry bear, eating berries. He was sad and gloomy because he didn’t have anyone to play with. The long-eared hare ran by. ‘Hmm, I’ve got an idea how to escape from that dog,’ the hare thought. And he hid behind the big bear.”

“Three children and their mother live in a cottage shaped like a hat on a little island in a lake. One day their mother goes to the mainland to find yarn to ...”

“One day, their mother went to the mainland to find yarn to make new clothes for the children.”

“They have lots of fun sweeping the chimney—but they get very dirty.”

“This is a delightful story for young children about getting help from unexpected places...”

“Old Man Blackcurrant stuck his head out of the bush. ‘Glad to see you!’ he said. ‘There’s hardly a ripe berry on any of my bushes yet.’ ‘Well, hurry up and ripen them as quickly as you can. Father says he’s coming very soon,’ said September.”

“Kelly and Kai love to play on the gnarled old tree trunk outside their cottage in the woods: sometimes it becomes a horse, sometimes a crocodile and sometimes even a dragon.”

“Deep in the woods lay an old fallen-down tree trunk. It was covered in moss and its roots stuck out like legs. It looked like a dragon from a fairy tale.”

“Oskar the dog ran out the trees and - thud! - he ran right into the big bear. The bear held on to the dog tightly. At last he had someone to play with!”

“Old Man Blackcurrant stuck his head out of the bush. ‘Glad to see you!’ he said. ‘There’s hardly a ripe berry on any of my bushes yet.’ ‘Well, hurry up and ripen them as quickly as you can. Father says he’s coming very soon,’ said September.”

“But will the old tree dragon stay alive long enough to bring them home again?”

“While she is away, the children try to help around the house, but housework is much harder than they had thought.”

″ The playful gooseberry boys, Mrs. Bramley Apple, the strawberry families, Mr. Scarecrow, and many more. ”

“One day a mischievous gnome makes the tree trunk come to life, and the children are whisked off to the Land of Long Ago on the back of the old tree dragon.”

“The old sheep dog was very happy to get some help. He lay down and slept all day while Kai and Kelly looked after the sheep. They were careful not to lose a single sheep.”

“Dear child, you must eat first,′ said Mother, ‘and then you must be warmly dressed, because it is cold day.’ And Ollie swallowed his oatmeal and milk, and Mother put on his thick double-breasted jacket and the long mittens and stuffed a sandwich in each pocket, and then said he might stay out until dinner time.”

“Then Sylvie’s dog Oskar runs off after a long-eared hare and Sylvie’s adventures begin. This is a delightful story for young children about exploring new places and making new friends, and about the comforts of home.”

“Princess Sylvie and her father, the king, go for a walk in the woods one day. Who will they meet there? Then Sylvie’s dog Oskar runs off after a long-eared hare, and Sylvie’s adventure begins.”

‘A beloved classic that will be reintroduced to countless new generations of young readers to come.’

“They wash their clothes in the lake and dry them over a fire—but fires are hard to control...”

“Will Hat Cottage still be standing when their mother returns?”

“A sweet and charming story about making new friends, exploring new places, and the pleasure of returning to the comfort of home.”

“Six-year-old Ollie is given his first pair of real skis. As soon as the snow begins to fall he heads off into the woods and meets sparkling Jack Frost, who shoos away damp Mrs Thaw.”

“Finally, Mrs. Thaw gets her way, and the lovely snow starts to disappear. Ollie is very upset and wishes it could be winter forever—until Spring arrives one lovely day when in her carriage, pulled by butterflies.”

“When Olle was six years old he received a pair of new skis from father. He had no real skis before, only a pair of small ones that the farmer’s son John has made for him out a couple of boards, and so you can imagine how much he longed to try his new skis.”

“Jack Frost takes him on an adventure to the palace of King Winter. Olle has a wonderful time in a huge snowball fight! But will Mrs Thaw return too soon for Ollie to enjoy the snow?”

“And Olle swallowed his oatmeal and milk, and Mother put on his thick double-breasted jacket and the long mittens and stuffed a sandwich in each pocket, and then said he might stay out until dinnertime.”

“Along the way, he meets Jack Frost, who makes everything sparkle, and Mrs. Thaw, who makes everything melt.”

“A couple of weeks before Christmas the snow began to fall in great flakes, and it snowed for two whole days and nights at a stretch, so that everything was wrapped in a thick blanket of snow. And when Olle woke up on the third morning, the sky was bright blue, and the snows glittered like millions of stars.”

“At the palace, Ollie meets children helping to make Christmas presents—that is, until break time, when they rush outside for a big snowball fight.”

“All of a sudden Olle began to sneeze. He felt that his feet were wet, and noticed that the hoarfrost in his coat had melted away, and at the same time he saw a strange little old woman trudging through the woods.”

“Olle had just opened his mouth to ask, when Uncle Hoarfrost rushed toward the old woman and screamed: ‘Are you here again? Off with you at once, and don’t you dare stick your nose here again until Spring comes!”

“After a while they came to a mighty snow castle, guarded by two polar bears, who sniffed familiarly at Uncle Hoarfrost as he and Olle went past them and in through the gateway.”

“The children of the forest live deep in the roots of an old pine tree. They collect wild mushrooms and blueberries and shelter under toadstools when it rains.”

“They play with the squirrels and frogs, and when fall comes, they collect and prepare food to see them through the long winter, until the warm spring breeze starts to blow.”

“The beautiful story of a little family of forest people living under a tree. The four children wear red and white bonnets like toadstools.”

“The children of the forest live deep in the roots of an old pine tree. They collect wild mushrooms and blueberries and shelter under toadstools when it rains.”

“They play with the squirrels and frogs, and when fall comes, they collect and prepare food to see them through the long winter, until the warm spring breeze starts to blow.”

“Deep in the forest, under the curling roots of an old pine tree, was a small house. Warm and dry in winter, cool and airy in summer, it was the home for one of the forest people. He lived there with his wife and four children: Tom, Harriet, Sam and Daisy.”

“Sheltered under the pine-tree branches, they hardly felt the autumn gales and if it rained, the children crept underneath a giant toadstool to keep dry.”

“All the children wore red-and-white spotted caps. If strangers came into the forest, they curled up, still as stone, for all the world like four red-and-white spotted mushrooms.”

“Squirrels are scatty, thoughtless creatures add sometimes they forgot what game they were playing and then the children could catch them. Mostly, they were kind-hearted and often they remembered to bring Harriet a nut or two from their store.”

“On summer evenings, the children went down to the pool to see their friends the frogs. Buffo, who was big and fat and kind, was specially fond of little Daisy and he would always listen to her troubles. ‘Renata!’ shouted Harriet. ‘Come and tell us how many insects you’ve caught.”

“Their father saw him hiding in the ferns and ran out in his thick, pine-cone suit with his birch-bark shield to fight the snake. Tom, Harriet, Sam and Daisy watched as the battle went first this way, and then that; but at last their father was so quick with his needle-sharp spear that he pinned the viper to the ground.”

“In the middle of the forest is a cave where a troll lives. No one knows his name. One day, when the children were out berrying, Tom saw that the biggest blueberries grew closest to his cave. ‘I’m going up there,” he said bravely. ‘And so am I,’ said Sam and Harriet and Daisy.”