This is an Elsa Beskow story I didn’t know. I am guessing it’s because it has only recently become a book, even in Swedish. The pictures are obviously Beskow originals from almost a hundred years ago, but maybe they haven’t appeared in book form until now.
Rosalind is a little girl who, with the help of her grandfather, writes (draws) a story. It is about Rosalind, who has a little deer. The deer is accidentally frightened and runs off, and is captured by a wicked King, as creatures often are in picture books.
The deer refuses to eat and there is a reward for managing to feed it. And eventually things happen much in the standard picture book way; after a bad start, things work out in the end.
While, for me, the pictures don’t have quite the same magic as the ones from my childhood, I suspect this is the reason. Elsa Beskow should be enjoyed at a young age, and you will always feel that special tug at your heart, no matter how old you are. This will do the same for today’s young readers, tomorrow.
Lily LOVES Rosalind and her Little Deer. Even though it arrived courtesy of a real-life Witch …
I’m very grateful for Lily’s scientific input, as I’m completely out of readers of the right age. The question is whether the parents can stick another fifty read-throughs. (Though I do suppose it’s a bit noir what with the prison scenes?)
Well, we’ve had about 13 read-throughs at this point, and everyone appears to be bearing up. The prison scenes, yes, are noir-ish, but – spoiler alert! – the happy ending tends to undermine the full-on noir impact.