Sagor om Tant Grön, Tant Brun och Tant Gredelin

Petter och Lotta #1

by Elsa Beskow

Tant Grön, Tant Brun och Tant Gredelin fyller 100 år och denna samlingsvolym innehåller tre av Elsa Beskows älskade berättelser om de tre tanterna, farbror Blå, Petter och Lotta och lilla Prick.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Classics, Swedish Literature, Fiction, Sweden, Fantasy

91 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1918

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]

Originally published in 1918 as Tant Grön, Tant Brun och Tant Gredelin, this classic Swedish picture-book is the first of five adventures featuring Peter and Lotta, and explains how those two children came to be living with Aunt Green, Aunt Brown, and Aunt Lavender in the first place. Three maiden sisters living together, the eponymous aunts - so known because of the colour of dress they invariably choose to wear - set out to walk their beloved black poodle Dot, only to find one thing after another delaying them. Impatient at being kept waiting, Dot takes off on his own, but soon finds himself in the clutches of a villainous organ grinder (as you do). Naturally, the aunts set out to find him, but they meet with mixed results. As Aunt Green finds herself stuck in a barn with an injured kitten, and Aunt Lavender is marooned in the forest after soaking her shoes and stockings, while attempting to cross a stream, Aunt Brown meets two unhappy young orphans, Peter and Lotta. Cheering them up by replacing their lost penny, she shares the tale of the lost Dot with them, asking them to bring him to the house, should they ever find him. This (of course) they do, rescuing the dognapped Dot from the organ grinder, and restoring him to the aunts (aiding Aunt Lavender and Aunt Green along the way), thereby winning for themselves a luxurious tea, and a permanent home...

Having read a few of the subsequent Peter and Lotta adventures, I am gratified to have finally tracked down this initial title. Aunt Green, Aunt Brown and Aunt Lavender has some of the madcap sense of adventure to be found in others of Elsa Beskow's stories, and much of the same humour as well. I was amused by the way in which Beskow takes the figure of the demure 19th-century maiden spinster - so proper! so prim! - and places her in seemingly incongruous situations. Beskow is not afraid to put adults in awkward places - stranded in a barn loft in the hay, or barefoot in the forest - that the young reader might not expect. The artwork here is just lovely, as one would expect with Beskow, for whom Sweden's premier illustrator's award is named. Each two page spread features the text on the left, and a full-page colour illustration on the right. The page with the text also features some artwork, usually in the form of black silhouettes on the white page. I found that I enjoyed both the silhouette and the full-colour illustrations. All in all, a strong beginning to an engaging series, one that highlights Beskow's talent at depicting small domestic dramas, in addition to her well-known fairy-tale/fantasies.

[Brianna Bratrud · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have loved this story as a kid. Neat story-telling with charming characters and of course the delightful beauty of Elsa Beskow’s illustration. I find these stories even more appealing because EB based them on her childhood with her beloved aunts and uncle after her mother was widowed. It’s hard not to love all of EB’s creations but this series might be the best.

[Bookbringer · Rating 3 out of 5]

So nostalgic!

[Laurie Hetherington · Rating 4 out of 5]

I came across this book in a library museum in Sweden. Was happy to find it on KINDLE and forgot I had it in my library. It’s a charming children’s fairy tale. It would be a sweet book to have a hard copy.

[Emma · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jag gillar verkligen Elsa Beskows illustrationer. En vacker historia om tre tanter som letar efter sin hund som sprungit bort.

[Tinker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Luettu suomeksi. Täti Vihreä, täti Ruskea ja täti Sinipunainen.

[Siri Nielsen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Den er lige så hyggelig, som jeg husker den! 🌞

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

A fun story!

[Sapphireblue · Rating 5 out of 5]

读的中文版
平安夜的小故事，
伴着精致精致的彩色绘图！

[Lindsay Lodge · Rating 2 out of 5]

A book with charming illustrations, but the story was just too far-fetched for me. I probably would have enjoyed it much more if I had read it as a child.

[Frans Kempe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fin barnbok

[Beverly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A very good story of adventure and kidnapping (the dog) and rescue. Lovely watercolors by the author.

[Jane G Meyer · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was first published long, long ago (1918), in Sweden by author Elsa Beskow. Children's stories were allowed to be longer then; it's certainly not the fashion now, and as I read this story to my five-year-old I found myself having to trim text as I went to keep my son's interest from wandering...

But that's not unusual. Oftentimes the first read, when it's long, is a bit harder to sit through on the first go-round. He was less squirmy when we read it again and I wasn't as tempted to turn the pages quite as fast.

This tale is packed with hardship and orphan boys, with spinster aunts who need some spicing up, and dogs who run away. There's gingerbread, and a forest, and haylofts and an organ grinder who needed a monkey. So much fun! So much adventure. And if you like the look of Scandinavian streets and little blonde boys, then you should track down this book or anything by Elsa Beskow. "Pelle's New Suit" is one of my favorites--these books are trips back in time to another age and era of storytelling.

[Manny · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tant Grön, Tant Brun and Tant Gredelin are maiden aunts - you wait for ages, and then three turn up at once. They live together in an idyllic little house in an idyllic little Swedish town, and, in accordance with their names, dress in green, brown and violet respectively. Their neighbour, Farbror Blå, wears blue clothes and vaguely threatens the mischievous boys who sometimes try to steal Tant Grön's pears. Their little dog is called Prick, and I can't imagine anyone tasteless enough to suggest that they could have chosen a name less liable to misinterpretation.

Elsa Beskow wrote it as World War I was coming to its bloody end. She wanted to take her mind off things, and it is indeed magnificently soothing.

[N · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finally got around to reading this, it's been on myself long enough for me to get pregnant and deliver a baby.

Anyhow, this is like the quintessential story you've got orphans, spinsters, poodles, bad men, stranded kittens, gingerbread, and jam. It has a perfect structure, every detail in it's place and the conflict being tied up neatly with a bow at the end. Since the book is longer than the average group's attention, I would definitely recommend "telling" it.

[Bay · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stjerner
Virkelig søde historier, og tror små børn vil elske dem, men var faktisk overrasket over, hvor lidt tanterne egentlig er en del af historierne taget i betragtning, at de ligesom udgør titlen. De virkede mere som en perifer masse fremfor tre individuelle personligheder. Det var en anelse skuffende.

[reading is my hustle · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a person blessed with the best Aunties ever, this book is dear to my heart. Ode to Auntie Ginny, Auntie RoRo, & Auntie Karen.

[Lise · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first of the Peter and Lotta books. I didn't really like it as a kid, but now I do!

[Julia]

Littvet barnlitteratur