elsa beskow

A big part of the Waldorf curriculum has to do with celebrating the rhythms of nature, including the seasons. We have a little nature table in our home which we change at the beginning of each season, then add to through the months. And since we are a family of bibliophiles, we love to read books about the seasons or which take place in specific seasons.

One of our favorite author/illustrators of seasonal tales is Elsa Beskow. Her illustrations are colorful and simple, but full of life. Always filled with magic, the main characters are often little wood sprites, fairies, or gnomes.

Elsa Beskow was born in Sweden in 1874. During her career, she wrote thirty-three picture books and illustrated eight collections of fairy tales, though she began writing for her family. Her first six books were for her children – one for each of her sons.

Here are some of our favorites:

Pelle’s New Suit This is my favorite, hands down (and sadly, one we don’t yet own). A simple tale of a boy who takes some wool and though a series of barters, get the wool made into a new suit. Lovely.

The Sun Egg Some of Beskow’s most charming illustrations and perhaps the cleverest story. An elf finds an orange in her woods and believes the Sun had laid an egg. What to do?

Woody, Hazel and Little Pip This might be Gwendolyn’s favorite -- I think she relates to the mischief these little wood sprites get into. A great Autumn book.

Ollie’s Ski Trip About a little boy who has the good luck of meeting Jack Frost and King Winter during a ski trip through the woods. We recently purchased a used copy and are excited about adding this to our Winter book collection.

Children of the Forest This story follows a family of wood sprites in their work and play through the seasons. A classic with beautiful illustrations of the natural world.

The Flowers’ Festival A Spring-time tale about the plants and flowers coming to life on Midsummer’s Eve. The book is a little long, but Gwendolyn loves it.

Look for Elsa Beskow during your next library visit!