The Children of Hat Cottage

The Children of Hat Cottage

On a little island in a lake, three children and their mother live in a cottage shaped like a hat. One day, their mother went to the mainland to find yarn to make new clothes for the children. While she is away, the children try to help around the house, but housework is much harder than they had thought.

They have lots of fun sweeping the chimney—but they get very dirty. They wash their clothes in the lake and dry them over a fire—but fires are hard to control… Will Hat Cottage still be standing when their mother returns?

The Children of Hat Cottage is a charming story from Elsa Beskow about getting help from unexpected places, along with lively illustrations in her classic style.

About the Author

Elsa Beskow (1874–1953) was born in Stockholm. Her parents were entrepreneur Bernt Maartman (1841–1889), whose family came from Bergen, Norway, and Augusta Fahlstedt (1850–1915). Beskow studied Art Education at Konstfack, University College of Arts, Crafts and Design, then called Tekniska skolan, or the Technical school, in Stockholm. In 1897, she married former minister and social worker and doctor of theology Natanael Beskow, whom she met while serving as a teacher at Djursholms samskola, where he served as headmaster. They had six sons. Beskow became one of the best known of all Swedish children’s book artists. She also illustrated “ABC” books and songbooks for Swedish schools. Her book pages are often framed in a decorative Art Nouveau style. Beskow received international recognition for her simple, cheerful stories and outstanding illustrations.