Travel Reads: “Swedish Fairy Tales” by John Bauer and Holger Lundbergh

Enter the land of trolls, wizards, elves, and gnomes … as the Swedish see them. Swedish Fairy Tales is a delightful collection of fairy tales haling from Sweden. The illustrations by John Bauer (1882-1918) are a pleasure to look at and bring the tales to life.

Carma Spence, The Genre Traveler, holding a copy of Swedish Fairy Tales

Stats

Title: Swedish Fairy Tales
By Illustrator: John Bauer
By Translator: Holger Lundbergh
Age Range: 8 – 12 years
Grade Level: 2 – 7
Hardcover: 254 pages
Publisher: Skyhorse Publishing
ISBN-10: 1616080035
ISBN-13: 978-1616080037
Available on Amazon in hardcover and paperback editions. You can find it at other online and offline booksellers, as well.

Summary of Swedish Fairy Tales

Holger Lundbergh translates tales of tomatoes, trolls, giants and more that are fun ventures into the world of Swedish fairy tales. The illustrations by John Bauer, who was well known in his time for his mythological artwork, are a delight to see and help bring the tales to life. Included in this volume are:

  • The Seven Wishes
  • When Mother Troll Took sin the King’s Washing
  • The Magician’s Cape
  • The Flower of Happiness on Sunnymount Crest
  • The Maiden in the Castle of Rosy Clouds

And more.

What Worked for Me

I really enjoyed Bauer’s artwork. I would love to find some prints to hang on my walls. In fact, I was so intrigued that I did a little research on him and discovered that he died young, along with his wife and child, when a ship they were vacationing on sank.

The tales are different from what I grew up with, but also fun and familiar, as well. The tales are simple because they were written for children, but I really enjoyed reading them anyway.

What Didn’t Work for Me

If you are reading this for yourself, get the paperback edition. The hardback is large enough that is hard to take on the road. Also, it doesn’t open very well when you get to the middle, so you have to use both hands to read and to look at the illustrations.

Conclusion

If you — or your little ones — enjoy fanciful fairy tales, this is a fun volume of stories. The hardback makes it a keepsake that you can pass on to future generations.

Score for Swedish Fairy Tales: 5 Palm Trees out of 5 Possible

colored palm tree
colored palm tree
colored palm tree
colored palm tree
colored palm tree

Grab your copy on Amazon today.

NOTE: Although I received this book free to review, that did not affect my opinion of the book. Read past reviews of books I’ve received for free and you’ll know I don’t hold my punches.

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About the author

As The Genre Traveler, Carma Spence loves to view the world through Genre-Coloured glasses. In other words, she sees the world through a lens of science fiction, fantasy, and horror, where trash cans can be Daleks in disguise and neighborhood forests can harbor faeries and sprites. Magic realism is real! Or at least you can choose to see the world that way to add to the fun and awe of life.