My A to Z for 2015 is inspired by Tina Downey's Postcards from Sweden from 2012. I am looking at English and Swedish words that I like and that have a special meaning for me.
Thursday 2nd April 2015 - The Letter B.
B is for Bilberries (Blueberries). The Swedish word for bilberries is blåbär.
Bilberries, these small blueberry plants to be found covering Northern European forest floors, are the stuff of which childhood dreams are made. They are like doll-size trees, tiny orchards with blue-violet apples. Swedish artist-illustrator-children's author, Elsa Beskow, understood this and created a beautiful picture-book about a little boy who dreamed about shrinking to the size of an elf and getting help from the little people to fill his basket with bilberries.
I had intended to show some of Elsa Beskow's images from this lovely children's book, Puttes äventyr i blåbärsskogen (1901), but the Wikipedia page for this is not completed. However, I am using Wikipedia photos to show what bilberries look like.
No, wait! I've found an English translation, Peter in Blueberry Land, on Amazon:
Thanks for visiting!
Best wishes,
Anna
First Commenter:
Laura Clipson
