My First Root Children

My First Root Children

All through winter, the root children sleep underground. When spring comes, Mother Nature wakes them up, and they get ready to go outside into the sunshine with the beetles, bees, and ladybirds.

The root children play in the forest with the butterflies. In summer, they dance in the meadow and by the stream. When autumn comes and the cold wind starts to blow, Mother Earth calls them back underground to sleep for the winter.

The classic, seasonal Story of the Root Children is presented for the first time as a boardbook for very young children. The overall story remains the same, but the language has been simplified. All of the beautiful illustrations from the original picture book are included, with some adapted sympathetically to fit the new format.

About the Author

Sibylle von Olfers (1881–1916) was born Maria Regina Angela Hedwig Sibylla von Olfers in the Castle of Metgethen (Schloss Metgethen), near Königsberg. She grew up in a sheltered childhood and enjoyed, together with her brothers and sisters, education and teaching through governesses and private tutors. Sebylle became a German art teacher and nun and worked as an author and illustrator of children’s books. In 1906 she published her most well-known work, Etwas von den Wurzelkindern, translated into English as The Root Children. She used a blend of natural observation and simple design, which has led to comparisons with Kate Greenaway and Elsa Beskow.