Rosalind and the Little Deer

by Elsa Beskow, Kristina Turner (Translator)

Overview

Rosalind loves to play with her little deer in the shade of the lime tree. Then one day a hunter comes along with his dog and frightens the deer away. The poor little deer is captured by a king and kept in a golden cage, but it refuses to eat.

People come from far and wide bringing delicious food for the king’s prized pet, but still the deer won’t eat. Then the hunter and his dog pass by and send a message back to Rosalind. Can Rosalind persuade the mighty king to part with his pet and set the little deer free once more?

This classic Elsa Beskow tale is published now for the first time in English. With its traditional fairy-tale charm and beautifully detailed illustrations, this is Elsa Beskow at her best.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780863157943
Publisher:	Floris Books
Publication date:	09/28/2012
Pages:	32
Sales rank:	687,513
Product dimensions:	10.60(w) x 8.60(h) x 0.30(d)
Age Range:	4 - 7 Years

About the Author

Elsa Beskow (1874-1953) is the most popular children s illustrator in Sweden, where her picture books have been known and loved for over a century.

Editorial Reviews

Beskow wrote and illustrated dozens of children’s books in her native Sweden in the early 20th century. In this one, first published in 1924, Rosalind’s beloved deer bolts at the appearance of a hunter and is captured by the king, who claps the delicate creature in a golden cage. Desolate, the captive refuses to eat, and the king offers a sack of gold coins to anyone who can feed it. Helped by the hunter and his dog, Rosalind stands up to the King’s might. “The King will lock you in the dungeon! Run away while you can!” Rosalind is warned. “I will,” she replies, “if I can take my little deer.” (True enough, Rosalind does indeed get locked up.) Beskow pokes gentle fun at adults who assume that money and power can induce others to do what they want, but perplexing and convenient plot developments (the hunter is imprisoned by the king for not having a dog on a leash, but is released, inexplicably, just in time to free Rosalind) may leave readers with questions. Ages 4–up. (Feb.)

Publishers Weekly

'The pictures are simple but detailed, with the colors and aspect of old prints.'
– Kirkus Reviews

'The book's charm... has more to do with the combination of sweetness, gravity, and grace in both the text and the illustrations. Children beguiled by Beskow's 'Princess Sylvie' will want to make Rosalind's acquaintance.'
– Booklist Online

'This is a simple story about a young girl who makes friends with a little deer... the message of the book about the importance of freedom is still relevant today.'
– Carousel

'You feel like you are stepping back in time as your eyes rest on the gentle illustrations of this book. This is ideal for an adult to read with children.'
– EYE: Early Years Educator

'Enchanting illustrations really enhance this beautifully told tale.'
– Creative Steps

From the Publisher

A little girl's grandfather is sad because he cannot paint, so she tells him to make a picture book with her, in this tale translated from Swedish and originally published in 1924. In their convincingly childlike story, Rosalind is sleeping in the meadow under a linden tree, with her deer nearby. A hunter comes by with his dog and points his gun at the deer, which runs away. The wakened and distraught Rosalind wants her deer friend back, and the hunter promises to return it unharmed. But the deer is captured by the king and put in a golden cage, where it refuses to eat. The hunter is locked up for allowing his dog to run free, but he sends the dog to Rosalind with a note written in charcoal, and she takes her walking stick and her linden flowers and sets off. The deer eagerly devours the linden, but the king locks up Rosalind, too, and will not let them go. Fortunately, the entire court takes a nap, the hunter frees Rosalind and her deer, and they all gambol freely and happily beneath the linden. The pictures are simple but detailed, with the colors and aspect of old prints. The king picks apples in his crown and golden coat; the hunter's dark stone dungeon is equipped with a fireplace and a stool; the hunter, despite the presence of his gun (which disappears in the last scene) is content to blow his horn at the end. Sweetly illogical and very old-fashioned. (Picture book. 4-7)

Kirkus Reviews

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