John Bauer's original, evocative illustrations bring these classic Swedish folk tales to life. This collection comprises 29 stories, including Elsa Beskow's When Mother Troll Took in the King's Washing; The Magician's Cape by Anna Wahlenberg; The Seven Wishes by Alfred Smedberg; The Ring by Helena Nyblom; Stalo and Kauras by P. A. Lindholm; The Maiden in the Castle of Rosy Clouds by Harald Ostenson.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
'Tales of trolls and kings, princesses, magicians and giants are illustrated by the acclaimed Swedish artist, John Bauer. His stylised images seem to suggest the universal ... they are extremely evocative. His use of muted tones means his rare flashes of colour -- bluebells, or a golden-haired princess -- seem to illuminate his dark forest scenes with a magical glow. His big-nosed, good-natured trolls are also a delight (fans of Brian Fround's Dark Crystal will adore them). Adults will enjoy these pictures just as much as children.' -- Dawn Casey, Armadillo, Autumn 2004 'When John Bauer was tragically drowned at the age of only 36, he had already become Sweden's best-known illustrator of children's books. This handsome volume shows why. These stories are remarkably contemporary in their continuing appeal and their attractions were cleverly identified and enhanced by Bauer.' -- Mary Medlicott, School Librarian, Spring 2005 'This is real storytelling. The stories represent a hitherto-neglected tradition of fairy tale, in bright readable English, which the added bonus of Bauer's pictures for those who respond to the strength of his compositions and the humour of his line.' -- Books for Keeps, March 2005 'John Bauer is one of the world's greatest illustrators of fairy tales. His precise and beautiful work has been compared with that of Durer and Holbein. This book will appeal equally to both children and adults.' -- Folk & Fairy Tales: A Book Guide, Booktrust, Winter 2004 'A delightful anthology brimming with trolls, giants, villains and heroines. The stories, which are full of humour, are stunningly illustrated. A book to treasure.' -- Juno: A Natural Approach to Family Life, Autumn 2004 'This superb collection of traditional fairy tales from Sweden is fantastic value, and you'll treasure the book for the illustrations alone. My kids can't get enough of it -- and it's very popular with mum and dad, too. It contains over fifty folk tales of varying length, and the breathtaking pictures are by John Bauer, a high acclaimed artist whose style is reminiscent of Carl Larsson. 'If it's possible, the quality of the stories even outdoes the pictures. Like most folk tales, they work on a number of levels: they are funny and exciting, full of adventure and magic, with clever and resourceful children outwitting cruel, ugly trolls. Having read The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, my son considers himself an authority on the ways of trolls, and the current popularity of Tolkien helps make these stories very accessible. 'On a deeper level, the stories deal with psychological dilemmas and conundrums faced by humans since the beginning of time. I'll personally never forget the king who wouldn't allow any other human within two arm's lengths of him, because he believed them all to have vicious claws; until a tiny girl overcomes his fear by insisting on caressing him. 'Swedish Folk Tales would be a fantastic gift for any family. Because they are from Sweden, the stories have the added benefit of being completely new to most British parents -- and to children old enough to read the tales for themselves.' -- Jo Rogers, Families Magazine (www.familiesonline.co.uk) 'These stories are entertaining, well told and have been translated into readable English. The illustrations are excellent, highly imaginative and reminiscent in style to the owrk of Arthur Rackham and Edmund Dulak. Children between 7 and 11 will enjoy these stories.' -- Peter Heathfield, New View, Spring 2005 'Bauer's characteristic world of lakes, mountains, caves and trees is dark and shadowy, but often broken by bright beams of light. Sometimes the light shines forth from a particular person -- a long-haired princess or a tiny innocent child. Sometimes it radiates from a flying horse or the moon in the sky. But never far away are the trolls, knobbly, clumsy-looking creatures with beady eyes and great fat noses. They are like embodiments of the land itself, knobbly and knotty and gnarled.' -- Mary Medlicott, School Librarian, Spring 2005
About the Author
John Bauer, born in 1882, is a highly acclaimed Swedish artist. Influenced by Anders Zorn and Carl Larsson, and by the fantasy work of Arnold Bocklin, he started illustrating fairy stories whilst still a student at the Swedish Royal Academy. His best-known illustrations were for an annual Christmas book for children, Bland Tomtar och Troll (Among Elves and Trolls), which delighted readers with their gentle humour and delicate detail. Bauer died at the age of just 35 when he, his wife and their three-year-old son were drowned when a ferry they were taking to Jonkoping sank in Lake Vattern.
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Customer Reviews
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
16 of 16 people found the following review helpful
A Kid's Review
Format:Hardcover
I have read this book countless times. Each reading is a special time for me and my Dad. These stories are a glimpse into Swedish culture that we know very litle about in the United States. There are always twists and turns in the tales about tomtes, trolls and princesses that constantly keeps the reader's attention. However wonderful and amazing are the stories, John Bauer's illustations are magnificient and extraordinary.Reading,unlike TV allows your imagination to grow. John Bauer's creative imagination far exceeds anything. It is very sad that such a gifted person died so early. These illustrations live on in this book. Indeed, it is a rare opportunity that this book is again available. We hope you will enjoy these wondrous literary journeys as much as we did. Please remember to shut the TV off. By the way, we are wondering where our house tomte is ?
15 of 15 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover
Fantasy, whimsey & pathos- all the ingredients to wonderful tales for young and old are here in full measure. John Bauer's illustrations were for me a previously unknown treasure. They capture the beauty and grotesque elements of legend and folklore with the playfulness of a Dulac or Rackham. If only Bauer had lived, what more wonders could he have created? Some of the finest Swedish authors are included in this collection as well, including the superlative Elsa Beskow. Share this collection with a child as well as yourself.
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful
A Kid's Review
Format:Hardcover
I have read this book countless times. Each reading is a special time for me and my Dad. These stories are an glimpse into Swedish culture that we know very litle about in the United States. There are always twists and turns in the tales about tomtes, trolls and princesses that constantly keeps the reader's attention. However wonderful and amazing are the stories, John Bauer's illustations are magnificient and extraordinary.Reading,unlike TV allows your imagination to grow. John Bauer's creative imagination far exceeds anything. It is very sad that such a gifted person died so early. These illustrations live on in this book. Indeed, it is a rare opportunity that this book is again available. We hope you will enjoy these wondrous literary journeys as much as we did. Please remember to shut the TV off. By the way, we are wondering where our house tomte is ?
6 of 6 people found the following review helpful
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book far exceeded my expectations. The illustrations are not just beautiful, imaginative, and magically evocative; they are plentiful, too, with one on nearly every other page. The tales are well constructed and wonderfully readable in this translation. I assume they are 19th century art tales, but they are in the folk tradition and they keep to a standard stable of fantastic creatures (usually trolls, sometimes also tomtes or gnomes or elves). I would have liked a bit more bibliographic and biographical information on the writers (not just on the remarkable John Bauer), but this is a quibble that maybe a future printing can fix (along with the occasional typo).
Quibbles aside, I recommend this collection most highly. I read it out loud to an almost-four year old daughter and a five-and-a-half year old son and they love it. Princesses, trolls, brave and clever peasants making their way in the big world: what more could one wish for?
In short, the stories are a good length for reading aloud, the pictures are plentiful, and altogether this is a truly enjoyable book. I don't write many reviews, but I had to sing the praises of this gem.
Quibbles aside, I recommend this collection most highly. I read it out loud to an almost-four year old daughter and a five-and-a-half year old son and they love it. Princesses, trolls, brave and clever peasants making their way in the big world: what more could one wish for?
In short, the stories are a good length for reading aloud, the pictures are plentiful, and altogether this is a truly enjoyable book. I don't write many reviews, but I had to sing the praises of this gem.
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful
By Laurie
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
The illustrations and the stories are a wonderful combination, and they converge to make this book truly a "must have". In fact, I ordered one copy for my daughters to share at Christmas, and then after seeing it, I ordered 2 more copies so that they could each have one of their own to keep. It's that good! I prefer these tales over the Grimm's fairy tales (though those are very good) but there is something simply spellbinding about these. And John Bauer's illustrations -- what can I say? Pure magic. I have since looked for more folk tales from this area of the world, and for more works llustrated by Bauer, but really there is nothing like this book out there. If your child loves to hear a good tale you can't go wrong with this book. Buy it, and I guarantee that you won't regret it.
7 of 8 people found the following review helpful
By JK
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
John Bauer's wondrous magical illustrations are matched by the marvelous tales in this book. "The King's Choice" and "The Queen" are especially lovely. Our family's copy from the 1970s is nearly in tatters, it has been so loved. I know what our children will be getting for Christmas this year!
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful
By Steffi
Format:Hardcover|Amazon Verified Purchase
This book combines absolutely gorgeous illustrations with a selection of traditional fairy tales that tend to include more independent female characters than similar fairy tale collections. For example, in "Agneta and the Sea King," the heroine follows her own path and removes herself from a home where her husband is emotionally manipulative. The stories are well-written and unique; I have not seen them in other collections.
Most of the fairy tales include subtle insights or morals that will appeal to both children and adults. Several of the stories emphasize the importance of being kind and generous-- without being dull.
The mysterious illustrations by John Bauer are, in my mind, a mixture between Arthur Rackham and art nouveau. However, those who find the naked body offensive should avoid this book, as it does contain a few illustrations with undressed children (although a child probably does know what he or she looks like naked) and adults as seen from behind.
Most of the fairy tales include subtle insights or morals that will appeal to both children and adults. Several of the stories emphasize the importance of being kind and generous-- without being dull.
The mysterious illustrations by John Bauer are, in my mind, a mixture between Arthur Rackham and art nouveau. However, those who find the naked body offensive should avoid this book, as it does contain a few illustrations with undressed children (although a child probably does know what he or she looks like naked) and adults as seen from behind.
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars
Best collection in a long time.
A delightful compilation of folk tales, with truly wonderful illustrations. The moral culture of Sweden can be felt, and admired, through these stories. Read more
Published 3 months ago by GKC
5.0 out of 5 stars
Swedish Book
This is a wonderful book of traditional Swedish Folk Tales. I bought this book for all of my neices and nephews and they all love it.
Published 5 months ago by Rob
4.0 out of 5 stars
Nordic Folk Tales Come to Life!
Well written, lovely stories about trolls and princesses and gnomes. I read them to my seven year old, who really enjoys them. Read more
Published 6 months ago by Karin Lefranc
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful Illustrations
As the title suggests, this is a book of Swedish Folk Tales, beautifully illustrated by renowned 19th century Swedish artist, John Baur. Read more
Published on July 23, 2010 by Splotchie
5.0 out of 5 stars
Anyone with eyes will love it. And maybe a few without.
Absolutely beautiful. The artwork is achingly pretty and the stories are wonderful. I'm a folklore nut and an illustration enthusiast, so this book made my whole weekend.
Published on May 4, 2008 by Papi Crabtree
5.0 out of 5 stars
Swedish Folk Tales
My 9 yr old son loves the stories in this book. He is very interested in dwarves, fairies and the like, so this book is perfect for finding out more about them. Read more
Published on February 13, 2008 by S. Roberts
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