Schellen-Ursli

by Selina Chönz (Erzälung), Alois Carigiet (Bilder)

Ursli is a little boy who lives in the Swiss Alps. In order to find a big cowbell so that he can lead the spring procession through his village, he goes alone to his family's chalet high up in the mountains. There, he spends a lonely, scary night.

Genres: Childrens, Picture Books, Adventure

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1945

About the author

Selina Chönz or Selina Choenz was a Swiss children's author. Her most famous work is A Bell for Ursli, a children's book illustrated by Alois Carigiet.

Reviews

[Warwick · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you share Walken's concern, then let me introduce you to Switzerland's most favouritest children's picture book. I have already discovered that you can send many people here into a sort of nostalgic fugue-state just by reciting the opening couplet—

Hoch in den Bergen, weit von hier,
da wohnt ein Büblein so wie ihr…

The book continues in these hypnotic iambic tetrameters, to which, along with Alois Carigiet's beautiful illustrations, it probably owes its lasting popularity. The story is super-charming, and centres on a little village in the Engadine which is preparing for the traditional festival known as Chalandamarz (a Romansh word; the ch is pronounced like in English), when children ring bells to mark the end of winter. Little Urs – ‘Ursli’ – is pushed out of the way by the bigger kids and ends up with a tiny bell, meaning he'll be at the back of the procession. So he heads off into the Alps to visit the family's mountain hut, planning to retrieve a gigantic cowbell that hangs over the fireplace.



With his gormless expression and his big pointy hat (Zipfelmütze), Ursli is kind of an iconic figure in (at least German-speaking) Switzerland, and a film is coming out this year – or perhaps is already out, I'm too lazy to check. Those like me who are discovering it later in life, on a doomed quest to understand the national psyche, will find lots of uniquely Helvetic elements to enjoy – apart from the Chalandamarz itself, which is such an old tradition that it probably predates Christianity, we have the quest to the Maiensäss (a kind of châlet built on low-Alpine pastureland in Graubünden), and at the end the family celebrates by eating a big meal of Kastanienribel, whatever the hell that is. In my experience Swiss cuisine is like standard European cuisine but covered in melted cheese. Which is fine by me.

The book was originally written in Romansh and came out in 1945 (Selina Chönz, the author, was originally Selina Könz and I wonder if she Swissified her name as some kind of post-war distancing from Germany). It's still the first thing many people say here when you ask them about children's books, and you can see why – it's very endearing and very pretty, and my own kids seem perfectly happy to have it waved in front of their faces before bed.

[Hilary · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ursli lives in the mountains of the Swiss Alps. He needs to find a cowbell to lead the procession through his village that marks the beginning of spring. The biggest cowbell leads the procession so Ursli puts on his thinking cap and remembers a massive cowbell that is in his family's summer chalet up in the mountains. This one is big enough to tip a cow over, he's sure to get that lead role. The snow is still deep and Ursli's quest to get that prize bell doesn't run smoothly.

We really love this illustrator's 70's style drawings, my son really liked this one when he was little, he could really identify with the need to get that oversized cow bell and lead the parade, my daughter thought it was okay and she much preferred Ursli's sister Florina's adventure of finding a wild bird. I liked the look into Swiss village life and a seasonal custom and it is a pleasure to look at these illustrations.

[Manybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sweet, poignant and brilliantly, evocatively illustrated by renowned Swiss painter and graphic artist Alois Carigiet (the original German language text was penned by Selina Chönz, a Romansch poet from the Engadine Valley of Switzerland, and represents a narrative poetry sequence that she had actually originally written in Romansch and then translated for publication), the lyrical, almost songlike verses describe in loving, glowing detail how young Ursli treks alone to his family's summer chalet in order to find and retrieve a large cowbell that he can use for the traditional Chalanda-Marz procession (where Engadine children parade through alpine towns ringing cowbells to signify the end of winter, to welcome the beginning of spring). The poetic, lyrical words and atmospheric illustrations not only present an enchanting as well as exciting, adventurous scenario, they also (and with a perfect marriage of text and image) describe and depict the traditional lifestyle and culture of the Engadine Valley. Highly recommended, but especially suitable/enjoyable for anyone who enjoys and appreciates poetic picture books illustrated by famous artists, and of course, individuals interested in Swiss alpine culture (or perhaps more to the point, what Swiss alpine culture often used to be like, especially in the more remote valleys).

Now this particular edition is the 1980 anonymous English language translation released by Orell-Füssli of Zurich (which also published the original German language version, Schellen-Ursli, in 1945), and while without a doubt (and which I much and gladly appreciate) capturing and demonstrating the cadence, rhythm and lilting poetry of the original, there are unfortunately also at times, and especially near the end of the tale, some rather awkward rhyming sequences and word choices present. However, this is really not all that uncommon when translating poetry, and all things considered, the translation is actually quite successful, reading sweetly, evocatively, and absolutely, definitely showing the spirit of the original, seizing on its sweetness, lyricism and general ambience, small issues with rhyme based awkwardness and such notwithstanding.

Also, please note that this particular version of A Bell for Ursli is NOT the 2007 English language edition by Floris Books of Edinburgh (which I have not yet read, but am planning to in the hopefully not too distant future). I am making a point mentioning this, as Floris Books seems to have more of a tendency to release prose renderings of foreign language poetry for children (and not actual translations thereof). I have, for example, now perused two separate English language versions of the second Ursli book, Florina and the Wild Bird (Flurina und das Wildvöglein), and while the edition that was published by Oxford University Press in the 1950s does attempt to translate the lyricism of the original (albeit quite haltingly at times), the more recent Floris Books version of the same simply provides an expanded and adapted prose offering of Selina Chönz' poetry (and with that fact in mind, I am assuming that the 2007 Floris Books edition of A Bell for Ursli will also more than likely be a prose adaptation and not a poetic translation of the original). Just a heads up for potential readers that there are two and likely rather majorly different English language editions of Schellen-Ursli available, and it is thus up to the former to consider, to decide which he or she wants to read (or be like me, and try both for comparison and contrast).

[Manybooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Sweet, poignant and brilliantly, evocatively illustrated by renowned Swiss painter and graphic artist Alois Carigiet (the text itself is by Selina Chönz, a Romansch poet from the Engadine Valley of Switzerland), the lyrical, almost songlike narrative describes in loving, glowing detail how young Ursli treks alone to his family's summer mountain chalet in order to find and retrieve a large cowbell that he can use for the traditional Chalanda-Marz procession (where Engadine children parade through alpine towns ringing cowbells to signify the end of winter). The poetic, lyrical words and atmospheric illustrations not only present an enchanting as well as exciting, adventurous scenario, they also (and with a perfect marriage of text and image) describe and depict the traditional lifestyle and culture of the Engadine Valley. Schellen-Ursli has also been translated into English, A Bell for Ursli, and I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys poetic picture books that have been illustrated by famous artists as well as anyone interested in the cultures, traditions and lifestyles of Switzerland. Truly magical in every way, and for me, that magic also resides in the nostalgic fact of this being one of my favourite childhood reads.

[Abigail · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally published in 1945 as Uorsin, this classic Romansch-Swiss picture-book presents the story of a young boy named Ursli, and the overnight Alpine adventure that results from his determination to carry one of the larger bells, in his village's annual Procession of the Bells, held to drive out Winter, and welcome in Spring. Told in rhyming couplets, the tale follows Ursli as, chores completed, he rushes to his Uncle Gian's farmhouse with the other boys, only to come up with the smallest, tinkliest bell of all! Determined not to be a laughing-stock, Ursli heads for his family's summer hut, on the mountainside, where he knows he can find a very large bell indeed...

I enjoyed A Bell for Ursli, not least because it depicted a cultural tradition with which I was entirely unfamiliar - knowing nothing of the pastoral lifestyle, or seasonal village customs of the Engadine - in a way that fit naturally into an engaging story about a little boy. The narrative itself felt a little forced, with a rhyme-scheme that didn't always convince me, but I set that down to translation. The illustrations, done by Alois Carigiet, have a vintage style and aesthetic sensibility that feel very appropriate for the story. All in all, an engaging book! I think my own response was somewhat less enthusiastic than I had hoped, given this book's status as a "classic," but I was sufficiently impressed that I will seek out Selina Chönz and Alois Carigiet's Florina and the Wild Bird .

[booklady · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet story for young boys who want to prove they are "Grown-up" to others who do not yet see their maturity. I really liked Ursli's spunk and determination and would have given this a higher rating were it not for him running away to prove his point. Given the world we live in, this is such a dangerous thing for a little boy or girl to do, I am almost tempted to throw this book away, never mind give it an even lower rating. For now I am holding on to it, contemplating the rest of the story in the context of its own timeframe and wondering/hoping a savvy adult reading this to a mature child could overcome this disastrous mistake which is not even addressed in the text of the story. The parents and the village are in despair until the boy is found, but then Ursli achieves his end and that seems to justify the means, which to a young mind could imply that Ursli was correct in the action he took.

Just not sure... But if you decide to read this, be forewarned.

[Japan Connect (Fabienne) · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

Ein Schweizer Kinderbuch-Klassiker.

Dieses in Bild und Versform mit Liebe gestaltete Kinderbuch stellt einen alten Brauch aus dem Kanton Graubünden vor: den Chalandamarz. Ein Glockenumzug, bei dem die Knaben den Winter ausläuten, um den Frühling willkommen zu heissen.

Ursli wurde die grösste Glocke versprochen, doch als er zu spät zur Glockenvergabe kommt, bleibt nur noch eine winzige Schelle übrig. Von den anderen Kindern als Schellen-Ursli verspottet, heckt Ursli einen waghalsigen Plan aus.

Eine absolute Empfehlung vor jung und alt.

Einen Blick ins Buch bekommt Ihr in meiner Video-Rezi:
https://youtu.be/v8zyH-AQjgE

[hanni · Rating 4 out of 5]

my boyfriend's mother gifted me this book for my birthday. it's a very famous swiss story that i didn't know yet. i loved the illustrations!

[Krista the Krazy Kataloguer · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed learning about the custom of ringing in the spring. However, the English translation was awkward in places due, I think, to the difficulty of translating rhyming poetry as opposed to prose. I also wasn't sure that bread left in the summer house would still be edible or soft enough to eat in the spring. Still, a nice story.

[Randie D. Camp, M.S. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good friend, Greta, translated this classic Swiss/German story for my children's literature class.

[Heidi Burkhart · Rating 4 out of 5]

The illustrations are absolutely delightful! The text rhymes and gets sing-songy in places but could be tied into a unit of study about rhyming words for little ones.

It is a unique book since it is telling about a tradition in a specific region of Switzerland called the Engadine. The book describes the spring celebration of re-belling the cows and driving winter away. It’s a good example of learning to be resilient and persevere to obtain what one wants.

When I obtained this book, about thirty years ago I was also able to get a Ursli hand puppet as well. A nice addition when using the book as a teaching tool for K-3 students.

[Brašna · Rating 3 out of 5]

Give that boy the big bell if he wants it.
My friend sent me this children's book as a joke.

[Brahunja · Rating 5 out of 5]

Letto il: 28/10/2025
Lingua: Tedesco

Commento:
Uno dei miei libri d'infanzia! Sono molto felice di averlo riletto.

[Betty Huber · Rating 3 out of 5]

A Swiss classic. You probably have to be Swiss (or married to one) to really appreciate this quaint village tale, but it's apparently a coming of age classic for any Swiss boy. This is the English translation of Schellen Ursli.

[Marmot · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lovely illustrations! The story was pretty good too, not very original in plot really, but nice enough. I think that the translation was likely somewhat lacking, as I bet the original prose was more interesting that this dry text.