Karsten Brandt

Originally published in Sweden as Puttes Äventyr i Blåbärsskogen, this classic picture-book first appeared in 1901, and has been delighting children at home and abroad ever since! Elsa Beskow, whose work is so highly regarded in her native country, that Sweden's annual award for the best illustrated children's book is named in her honor, here weaves an enchanting tale of a young boy who sets out to gather a basket each of blueberries and cranberries, as a birthday gift for his mother. When there are no berries to be found, Peter despairs, only to find himself consoled by the tiny King of Blueberry Land, who shares the wonders of his kingdom (and his seven sons) with the delighted boy. Why, there's even a visit to Mrs. Cranberry's home!

Peter in Blueberry Land was just delightful, and I suspect that, with its tale of a child being shrunk down to a tiny size, I would have considered it a real favorite, had I first encountered it as a girl! The illustrations are simply darling - I particularly liked Mrs. Cranberry's five daughters - reminding me a bit of the work of another great picture-book artist of this period, Sibylle von Olfers. I do wish that the translator (unnamed, in the Floris Books reprint I read) had retained the original lingonberries, rather than changing them to cranberries, as I do love the former, but other than that, this is a charming book, one that offers almost unalloyed pleasure to the reader, young or old.… (mais)