The Children of Hat Cottage

by Elsa Beskow

Overview

Three children and their mother live on a little island in a little cottage shaped like a hat.

When their mother goes out searching for yarn, the children of hat cottage promise to be good. They try to be helpful by sweeping the chimney and washing their clothes. But their good intentions soon turn to mayhem. What will the children do?

This is a delightful story for young children about getting help from unexpected places from the world-renowned Swedish author–illustrator Elsa Beskow.

This wonderful new edition of The Children of Hat Cottage faithfully reproduces Beskow's classic illustrations in a collectable picture book featuring a unique hand-crafted design, premium-quality paper, gold foil signature and a luxurious cloth spine. Create an Elsa Beskow library by collecting all of the gorgeous new editions.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781782507499
Publisher:	Floris Books
Publication date:	06/29/2021
Edition description:	2nd Revised ed.
Pages:	36
Product dimensions:	10.40(w) x 8.50(h) x (d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Elsa Beskow (1874-1953) is the most popular children's author—illustrator in Sweden. Often described as Sweden's Beatrix Potter, Elsa Beskow's picture books have been known and loved for over a century. Her charming stories of children and magical folk, accompanied by her signature illustrations, are known and cherished the world over.

Editorial Reviews

'This charming fable was published in Sweden in 1930, and its vintage feel is positively refreshing.'
– Kirkus Reviews

'This charming little fairytale with a true vintage feel ... A lovely little book, with simple illustrations, a combination of drawing and watercolors. Perhaps a book you ll never grow out of.'
– Littlescandinavian.com

'This is a sweet little story with simple, but lovely illustrations. The themes of independence, triumphing over adversity, and keep one s cool in the face of disaster are great for shared storytime. The fairytale aspects of the setting will delight children who want to believe in gnomes and little spirits, and the poise with which the mother picks up the remains of her burnt-out life and makes the best of it is something I shall aspire to when things are higgledy-piggledy in my life.'
– playingbythebook.com

From the Publisher

K-Gr 3—First published in Swedish in 1930, this book captures the mood of a tale told long ago. A "little woman" and her three children live on an island in a cottage shaped like a hat. Before she goes to the mainland to buy yarn to make them clothes, the mother tells the youngsters that if they are good while she's away, she will bake sweet honey cakes. The children decide to surprise her and sweep the chimney. Of course, they end up covered in soot so they bathe and wash their clothes in a tub over a fire. The blaze gets out of control, and a "little man" who lives in a tree trunk on the mainland within sight of the Hat Cottage rows over to help put out the flames. The house can't be saved, so he builds a new cottage and puts the children to bed. When their mother returns, she is beside herself. The little man's solution is to marry her. The family spends the winters in the man's tree trunk where it is warm and cozy and summers in the cottage where it is warm and sunny. They live happily ever after. Despite the disconcerting plot element of the fire, this story is quite charming. Watercolor hues create a whimsical feel, and white space accentuates the lively drawings, which are beautifully done. This is a cozy, old-fashioned read-aloud that should find an appreciative audience.—Anne Beier, Hendrick Hudson Free Library, Montrose, NY

School Library Journal

Three young siblings are left alone at home; could there be trouble? Of course. Mother and her children live on a little island in a spruce little cottage that looks like a man's hat. Occasionally, she must row to the mainland on various errands. When the children need new clothes, she decides to go get some yarn, promising sweet honey cakes for the children if they're good. The trip takes longer than expected; neither the spider, the snail nor the shoemaker who lives by the shore has any wool. Meanwhile, the children decide to help by cleaning out the chimney. They use twigs as brushes and get covered with soot in the process. They bathe in the ocean, then use the twigs to start a fire to heat the water to clean their clothes. But the fire spreads to the cottage! Luckily the shoemaker sees smoke and rows across the water. It's too late to save the cottage, but the man helps the children build a new, stronger one out of wood--and ends up marrying their mother when she returns. Presented with an abundance of white space, the economically drawn figures are delicately tinted with watercolors. The charming fable was published in Sweden in 1930, and its vintage feel is positively refreshing. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews