Nils Holgersson's Journey with the Geese - A Guide to Children's Literature

Author: Editorial Committee of "Children's Literature Companion"
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2006-01-01
Features: "The Adventures of Nils" tells the story of a mischievous boy named Nils who dislikes studying and loves pranks. His family lives in southern Sweden, and his parents are kind, hardworking, yet extremely poor farmers. Nils hates reading and studying, often playing tricks and teasing small animals. One day, while his parents were at church, Nils teased a small elf at home, who transformed him into a tiny thumb-sized human with magic. Just then, a flock of geese flew overhead, and one of the male geese also wanted to spread its wings and join them. To prevent the goose from flying away, Nils tightly hugged its neck, but instead, he was carried up into the sky by the goose. From then on, he rode on the goose's back, traveling south and north, exploring various places, flying from the south all the way to Lapland in the north, and it took nearly a year for him to return home. During this extraordinary journey, Nils saw the beautiful landscapes of his homeland, gained much knowledge, made many friends, heard many legends and stories, experienced various difficulties and dangers, and was tempered, gradually correcting his mischievous and playful shortcomings. Upon returning home, Nils transformed back into a brave, wise, kind, and helpful young man.