Peter and Lotta's Adventure

Petter och Lotta #3

by Elsa Beskow

This new addition to the Peter and Lotta series is published in English for the first time. When Peter and Lotta give away one of their kittens, they find themselves having a day full of adventures, including the excitement of going to a fair. But will they manage to get home safely? (Ages 5-8).
About the author: Elsa Beskow s picture books for children have been known and loved for over a century.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Classics, Historical Fiction, Scandinavian Literature, Fiction

32 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1929

About the author

"Så långt jag minns tillbaka brukade vi syskon, liksom nästan alla barn, tycka mycket om att rita. Jag var bara sex år då jag hade klart för mig, att jag helst av allt ville lära mig rita, när jag blev stor, och allra helst rita i sagoböcker. Min bror och jag brukade ofta sitta och rita tillsammans. Han ritade vikingafejder och grekiska hjältestrider, medan jag ritade barn och stugor och landskap. Hans ritningar var säkert mycket bättre än mina. Jag kommer ihåg att jag beundrade dem mycket, fast jag nog tyckte att hans hjältar hade väl korta ben." Så berättar Elsa Beskow om sin barndom "När jag var liten" publicerad första gången i Barnbiblioteket Saga nr 35 (texten ovan tagen ur Solägget 1986) I samma berättelse skriver Elsa Beskow om hur roligt det var att gå i skolan och få lära sig läsa, hennes favoritbok var en tjock Topeliusbok som hon släpade med sig överallt och läste högt ur för sina syskon.

Redan som liten satte hon ihop långa sagor som hon berättade för sin ett år äldre bror, "Vanligen gick det till så, att han släpade mig med sig till en vrå, satte sig själv i vägen för mig, så att jag ej kunde rymma, och befallde: berätta nu! Och jag pladdrade på så gott jag kunde. Ibland tappade jag alldeles tråden i berättelsen och frågade honom bekymrad: 'Vad menar jag, Hans?' 'Kanske menar Elsa så…' föreslog han helt beredvilligt, och så fortgick berättelsen."

Elsa Beskow föddes 1874 på Söder i Stockholm. Hennes familj bestod av mor och far, fyra systrar och en bror. När Elsa Beskow var 15 år dog hennes far och modern blev ensam med barnen. Familjen flyttade till moderns ogifta yngre syskon som bodde tillsammans. Mostrarna och morbrodern blev verklighetens förebilder till Tant Grön, Tant Brun, Tant Gredelin och Farbror Blå.

Under åren 1892-95 utbildade sig Elsa Beskow till teckningslärare vid Tekniska skolan, det var också då som hon började att teckna för barn. 1897 gifte hon sig med Natanael Beskow, präst och konstnär. Paret fick sex söner, vilka många gånger kom att stå modell för barnen i hennes berättelser och sagor. Deras hus och vildvuxna trädgård i Djursholm fick ge inspiration till hennes besjälade blommor och växter. Elsa Beskows stil har jämförts med sekelskifteskonstnärer som Walter Crane och Kate Greenaway, men även Ottilia Adelborg. Första gången hennes bilder, bildberättelser och verser publicerades var 1894 för barntidningen Jultomten.

Barnboksdebuten kom 1897 med bilderboken Sagan om den lilla lilla gumman, en klassiker som de flesta barn känner till ännu idag. Elsa Beskow hade fått ramsan om den lilla gumman berättad för sig av sin mormor och i den första upplagan från 1897 slutar boken abrupt med gummans "Schas katta!" I nästa upplaga tyckte förläggaren på Wahlström och Widstrand att boken skulle sluta med "och katten sprang till skogs och kom aldrig mer igen" för så mindes han ramsan.

Men femtio år senare, i en ny upplaga, skrev Elsa Beskow till raden "Men kanske[br]ändå att han kom hem till slut" då flera barn blivit ledsna över det tidigare slutet.

Beskows bilder dominerade bilderbokskonsten under närmare 50 år och säkert har många av dagens bilderbokskonstnärer påverkats av hennes konst.

1952 erhöll Elsa Beskow Nils Holgersson-plaketten för sin samlade produktion. Det finns dessutom ett pris uppkallat efter henne, Elsa Beskow-plaketten, instiftat 1958 av Sveriges allmänna biblioteksförening.

Reviews

[Abigail · Rating 4 out of 5]

Peter and Lotta's Adventure (published in the original Swedish as Petter och Lotta på äventyr) is the third of five picture-books featuring the same family group - the first two being Aunt Green, Aunt Brown and Aunt Lavender and Aunt Brown's Birthday , the subsequent two being Uncle Blue's New Boat and Peter and Lotta's Christmas - but is one of only two that are available from my library. Sadly, this means that I will have to do without (for now) the story of how Peter and Lotta first came to stay with their three maiden aunts, in the house next door to Uncle Blue.

This installment of the family saga follows Peter and Lotta as they set out, in response to Uncle Blue's maxim that nasty people can be made good through kindness, to do a special good deed. Of course, we all know what the road to hell is paved with, and predictably, Peter and Lotta's gift of some cakes and a little kitten to short-tempered Wendy (an older woman who once cared for them?), leads them into a most unexpected day-long outing. Playing with the miller's children, losing their clothing in the forest (haha!), and attending the fair despite Uncle Blue's explicit prohibition against it, they spend a day being very 'naughty' indeed! Luckily, when all is explained to the aunts and uncle - who come into the story again just as Peter and Lotta are riding a trained bear - an understanding of their intentions averts the threatened birch-switch beating...

An amusing story that really appealed to me - how likely is it that a contemporary children's book would feature two young protagonists who end up stark naked in the forest, and must be rescued by a friendly woodcutter? - and also made me think about the importance of considering the child's point of view, in judging behavior, Peter and Lotta's Adventure is a book I highly recommend to young readers, and to their adult caregivers. I really appreciated the fact that, once he understood that Peter and Lotta were trying to live up to his own teaching, Uncle Blue tempered his anger with understanding, and confined himself to advising them to seek help, the next time they wanted to perform good deeds. I also - as always - loved the illustrations, which had that inimitable Beskow charm! Now, if only I could lay hands on the first two in this series...

[Gillian E Masland · Rating 5 out of 5]

this book taught me a valuable lesson about how to tell my right from my left, when consulting Chimney-Sweeps for directions.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

While I enjoyed the story, I couldn't understand why Uncle Blue and the Aunts thought that Peter and Lotta were too young to go to the fair. I think the adults just wanted to get away from the kids for a while! The illustration showing Peter and Lotta at the fairgrounds also depicts many other children with their families, so obviously, they weren't too young. Still love Beskow's old-fashioned illustrations.

[Adam · Rating 2 out of 5]

Swedish childrens book creator Elsa Beskow has several truly excellent stories. Among the best are: Pelle's New Suit, Children of the Forest, and Ollie's Ski Trip. However, others of her books are mystifying, episodic nonsense. And here the nonsense turns (at least to modern eyes) nearly sinister. The following passage is just so gloriously bizarre that I won't ruin it by adding context:

"So the old woman took the clothes and put them in her sack and went on, because she thought it was a pity to leave the clothes in the wood to get ruined. When the old woman had gone, Peter and Lotta crept out of the bushes, but they had no clothes to put on, and a cloud now covered the sun so it was not warm any longer but actually quite chilly.

"There they stood, naked, in the middle of the wild wood and did not know what to do. They were so unhappy they started to cry. Just then an old woodcutter came walking along the path, and he comforted them and told them they could come along with him to his cottage. Perhaps his wife would have some clothes for them. So they went along with him."

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peter and Lotta live with their aunts and uncle, and when their cat has kittens, they give one to a grumpy neighbor, which leads to them having quite an adventure while their relatives are out for the day. After a farmer offers them a ride home, they end up farther from home than they planned, and one mishap leads to another. Still, throughout it all, they are able to rely on the kindness of strangers who offer them help along the way, even though sometimes the help isn't quite what they lead. Imagine how surprised the aunts and uncle are to see them at the fair! Although this picture book was published in Sweden in 1929, it still has a freshness and appeal for young readers, possibly because of the innocence of the children, the lovely drawings, and the fact that noting too bad happens. Even the family dog manages to make its way home. Despite its humor, it does offer a good reminder not to veer from one's plans. After all, if they had stayed inside the house as they were supposed to or if they had walked home instead of accepting a ride, none of this would have happened, which might have been a good thing, depending on one's point of view.

[Heidi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Each year, I buy an Elsa Beskow book to add to my collection. They are charming children's books with incredible illustrations. It is like stepping back in time to see the beauty of her books.

This is another in the Peter and Lotta series. How fun it would be to have Aunt Green, Aunt Brown, Aunt Lavender and Uncle Blue in your life!

Peter and Lotta set out to be nice to Wendy but find themselves caught up in an adventure and forget which is left and which is right. A lesson they will always remember.

[Lise · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely picturebook in the Peter and Lotta series. This time they have their clothes stolen and end up in circus.