"The Further Adventures of Nils" by Selma Lagerlof, excellently translated by Velma Swanston Howard and beautifully illustrated by Astri Heiberg,carries on the story of the wonderful flight of Nils Holgerson, changed by a malicious sprite into a Thumbling, with the wild geese to the Northland.
In this loose structure many a charming tale is intertwined, rambling, dipping now and then into legend or modern philosophy. One of the finest things in the book is the opening story of Karr and Grayskin, the faithful dog that loved an Elk. It reminds one of Kipling in his happy moments. An amusing little slip in the translating puzzles one at first, but is soon forgotten. We hear that Karr is a “little black-and-tan terrier,” but he does things that those absurd little dogs could not possibly do. We like best to think of him as the big, shaggy hunting dog the accompanying illustrations picture.
Finally Nils and the big white gander come back to the home, the gander with a dainty little wild goose wife and six young goslings. Nils regains his human shape, in spite of refusing to sacrifice his gander friend for himself, and all ends happily. But we have so enjoyed the tale that we part from Nils and the others as regretfully as Nils himself parts from his wild geese friends.
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* Fifteen illustrations by Astri Heiberg are included in this edition, as they appeared in the Doubleday, Page & Company publication of 1911.
