This warm winter story is full of magic for children and parents alike to enjoy. In a snow covered forest on an island in Denmark lives the Larsen family. Here, 12-year-old Bettina finds herself embarking on an enchanted adventure as her parents receive a surprise Christmas Eve phone call that results in them having to leave immediately.
With so much responsibility suddenly put on Bettina – taking care of the house and farm –she forgets to put out a traditional bowl of Christmas rice pudding. This accidental slip of memory has grave consequences as her baby sister Pia went missing after her nap. She remembers her grandfather, Farfar, believed strongly in nisse, mythological creatures associated with the Christmas season who are known to cause trouble if they become unhappy. Neglecting to follow this traditional Danish custom of leaving out a bowl of warm, bubbling rice pudding has clearly caused their farm nisse to stir up some mischief.
Nisse are short creatures from Scandinavian folklore that have long white beards and bright red cone shaped hats, often resembling a garden gnome. This piece of Scandinavian culture is interesting and can lead to you and your child hunting for more information on them together.
This whimsical story is perfect for children between the ages of eight to 12 and is great for the upcoming holiday season. It touches on many important childhood literature themes, including the value of family, loss, redemption, bravery and forgiveness. This book is full of honesty as we see both the nisse Klakke and Bettina struggle with making big decisions, mistakes and then redeeming themselves as they learn to make better choices. This book is ideal for those who are just stepping into reading chapter books, as each one has imaginative titles that sums up what’s to come next.
Kendra Perkins is Coordinator for the Shanghai Librarians Network and Ambassador of China for the International Librarian Network. Find her at www.TheInspiredLibrarian.com
