Een goed boek om kinderen die net leren lezen te geven het zijn kleine stukjes tekst. Niet te lange zinnen en veel plaatjes. ( )

"Thank you very much for my new suit, little lamb.", 25 February 2016

This review is from: Pelle's New Suit (Hardcover)
Verified Purchase(What is this?)

This is one of those children's books that could become a family heirloom as it's utterly gorgeous! Doesn't include any of the fairies that often feature in Elsa Beskow's work: this is the more down to earth tale of little Pelle, owner of a lamb, who is growing out of his clothes.
"The lamb's coat grew longer and longer, but Pelle's coat only grew shorter."
So Pelle shears it, and by doing odd jobs for family and friends in return, gets it carded, spun, dyed, woven and made into a new suit.
In the process are some lovely images of 19th century Swedish life and home decor (put me in mind of Carl Larsson's lovely pictures of his family.) ( )

When Pelle - the eponymous little hero of this classic Swedish picture-book, first published in 1912 as Pelles nya kläder - begins to outgrow his suit, he looks to his lamb for the solution to his problem. Shearing the lamb of its fleece, Pelle appeals to his grandmother for help in carding the wool - something she is willing to do, if he will weed her carrot patch for her. Having obtained the carded wool, Pelle next appeals to his other grandmother, asking her help in spinning the wool into yarn. She too is willing, if Pelle will tend to her cows for her. And so it goes, with Pelle exchanging his services - from running errands to babysitting his sister - for the skilled aid of the adults around him, until finally, he has a brand new suit!

The narrative of this one reminded me a bit of a folktale - the kind in which the hero or heroine must arrange a series of exchanges, in order to eventually gain what they want - with the added benefit of providing an educational 'summary' of how cloth and clothing was made, before the advent of mass production. The simple text appears below each page-sized illustration, on the right, with a facing page that is entirely blank. Such an abundance of white space might be overwhelming in some books, but here the overall effect is one of unrushed peace - a feeling well-suited to this gentle tale, with its sweet illustrations. Recommended to anyone who enjoys Elsa Beskow's artwork, or is looking for a gentle tale that emphasizes the importance of give and take, and working for what you want. ( )

I read Pelle's New Suit in French, Paul et son habit neuf (because my library only had the French version), and I loved both the story and the illustrations; they are sweet, gentle and engaging. I have always loved Elsa Beskow's picture books, not only because of the wonderful Jugendstil-like illustrations, but even more so because there is such a loving, respectful attitude towards children and children's abilities and responsibilities present in her stories. Children are neither approached as irresponsible and completely dependent on adult guidance, nor are they portrayed as miniature adults; they are children, but they do have responsibilities and can be trusted with household and farm chores and work.

Pelle (Paul in the French version) does get his new Sunday suit, but in order to get the wool from his lamb to the taylor, he has to not only ask the people around him (Pelle's family and acquaintances) for favours, he also has to do favours for them to reciprocate. Thus, his one grandmother cards the wool, and in exchange, Pelle weeds her garden; his other grandmother spins the carded wool, while Pelle watches over her cows. I love the give and take of Pelle's New Suit and I also appreciate the fact that Pelle is seen as mature enough to raise and care for a lamb, weed his grandmother's garden, take a boat across the lake on an errand for the painter and so on. Recommended for fans of Elsa Beskow and children who enjoy sweet and engaging, old-fashioned family stories. ( )

Juv. story wool from sheep to suit