Selma Lagerloef: 3 books

The first woman to win the Nobel Prize in literature, Swedish author Selma Lagerloef rejected the gritty realism that was emerging as a literary trend in the early twentieth century and instead infused her stories with the wonder and enchantment of traditional fairy tales and folklore. This quaint and charming collection of short stories represents a wide-ranging cross-section of her work.

Nils is a young lad who likes nothing more than eating and sleeping. He is also a very mean little boy who likes to torment animals. One day he catches a tomte who turns Nils into a tomte, which leaves him shrunken and able to talk with animals, who are thrilled to see the boy reduced to their size and are angry and hungry for revenge.

There is a rich body of folklore that has sprung up around the central events that are said to have occurred in the life of Jesus. This volume, originally written in Swedish, collects a number of charming versions of these tales. It's an inspiring collection that would also be a good choice to read aloud to children.