Goodreads helps you keep track of books you want to read.

Start by marking “The Wonderful Adventures of Nils” as Want to Read:

Other editions

Enlarge cover

Rate this book

Clear rating

1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

Open Preview

more photos (1)

The Wonderful Adventures of Nils

(Nils Holgersson #1)

Selma Lagerlöf,

Velma Swanston Howard (Translator)

4.04 · Rating details · 9,301 ratings · 330 reviews

This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.

Get A Copy

Kindle Edition, Public Domain, 412 pages

Published May 16th 2012 (first published 1906)

More Details... Edit Details

Friend Reviews

To see what your friends thought of this book, please sign up.

Reader Q&A

To ask other readers questions about The Wonderful Adventures of Nils, please sign up.

Be the first to ask a question about The Wonderful Adventures of Nils

Lists with This Book

This book is not yet featured on Listopia. Add this book to your favorite list »

Community Reviews

Showing 1-30

Average rating 4.04 ·

Rating details

· 9,301 ratings · 330 reviews

More filters

Sort order

Start your review of The Wonderful Adventures of Nils

Jun 24, 2014 Lisa rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: children, nobels

Cross-curricular teaching and entertainment in one Nobel volume.

These days, interdisciplinary projects and cross-curricular interlinking of learning are all the fashion, and stressed teachers sigh in frustration over the tour de force of teaching not only their own subject, but of successfully implementing relevant connections to other areas as well in order to make learning more meaningful to an increasingly lazy, naughty and careless student body.

Some might think this is a recent issue - both Cross-curricular teaching and entertainment in one Nobel volume.

These days, interdisciplinary projects and cross-curricular interlinking of learning are all the fashion, and stressed teachers sigh in frustration over the tour de force of teaching not only their own subject, but of successfully implementing relevant connections to other areas as well in order to make learning more meaningful to an increasingly lazy, naughty and careless student body.

Some might think this is a recent issue - both the emphasis on interdisciplinary learning, and the hopeless attitude of our youth. Think again - or read Selma Lagerlöf, and you will be pleased to discover that:

a) your interdisciplinary project combining a learning unit in geography, biology, history, literature, ethics, Nordic mythology and life skills is offered to you on a Nobel silver plate.

b) students have been lazy, naughty and prone to falling asleep over their chores or homework at least since 1906, when this novel was written to be used in the Swedish school system.

Following young Nils Holgersson on his magical journey through the various landscapes of Sweden is a special experience, as it combines features of a fairy tale adventure with genuine geography and biology knowledge.

Nils is cursed by a Swedish house spirit, a"tomte", for his cruel and treacherous behaviour, and is turned into a a tiny "tomte" himself. Deprived of his physical superiority, he faces the animals on his parents' farm, whom he has treated in a particularly nasty way. He discovers that he has received the ability to understand their communication as a compensation for his lost power, and he has to hear some unpleasant opinions about himself, as well as protect himself against the mistreated animals' righteous anger.

Fleeing the farm on the back of a goose, he travels through all of Sweden. The journey widens his perspective and broadens his mind, and the hardship he faces makes him grow as a human being, -
despite or because of his tiny size. He learns to respect nature and living creatures by slowly gaining deeper understanding of the diversity of lifeforms in Sweden.

He returns home more caring and knowledgeable, and vows to be a better leader of the environment for which he is responsible. The curse is gone, and he resumes his human shape.

Apart from the purely subject-related content, offering a panorama of Swedish flora and fauna, it is a universal story of power and responsibility, and of the importance of knowledge to develop empathy. To respect others, you need to know about their situation, and about their needs and feelings and customs.

Recommended to teachers, students and learners for life! ...more

flag 59 likes · Like · see review

Apr 15, 2016 Manny rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: People who appreciate classic children's stories

Recommended to Manny by: About a quarter of Sweden

Shelves: swedish-norwegian-and-danish, science-fiction, children, german-and-dutch

This children's classic, published in 1906 by future Nobel Prize winner Selma Lagerlöf, is so famous in Scandinavia that everyone knows the plot; but until now I'd never read it. Nils Holgersson, a good-for-nothing kid in late nineteenth century Skåne, angers the local tomte (a kind of Swedish leprechaun), who magically transforms him into another tomte. Nils, who's now the size of a thumb, is fortunately adopted by a flock of geese who take him to their summer nesting grounds in Lapland and This children's classic, published in 1906 by future Nobel Prize winner Selma Lagerlöf, is so famous in Scandinavia that everyone knows the plot; but until now I'd never read it. Nils Holgersson, a good-for-nothing kid in late nineteenth century Skåne, angers the local tomte (a kind of Swedish leprechaun), who magically transforms him into another tomte. Nils, who's now the size of a thumb, is fortunately adopted by a flock of geese who take him to their summer nesting grounds in Lapland and back again. En route, they conveniently traverse all of Sweden, giving the author ample opportunity for an extended series of geography lessons. It sounded dull, but I was pleased to discover that in fact it's nothing of the kind. The geography is always firmly in the service of the narrative, the lead characters are well drawn, and the style is moving and poetic. But what surprised me most was that I'd never heard how it came to be written.

According to the introduction, the author's original inspiration was a terrible story she had heard from her grandmother about an incident that had occurred when the grandmother was herself a little girl. There was a white goose on the farm, and one spring day he took it into his head to fly off with a flock of wild geese who were passing by. The family was of course sure they would never see him again. But many months later, Selma's grandmother was astonished to see that the goose had returned. And he was not alone; during the summer, he had found a mate, a beautiful grey goose, and they were accompanied by half a dozen little goslings. Delighted, Selma's grandmother led the goose family to the barn, where they could eat from the trough with the other fowl. She closed the door so that they wouldn't fly off again, and ran to tell her stepmother. The stepmother said nothing. She just took out the little knife she used for slaughtering geese; and an hour later there was not one goose left alive in the barn.

For me, this resonated with what many other people also find the most memorable episode in the book. One night, Nils is woken by a stork, who says that if he follows him he will show him something important. They fly to the seashore, where there is a strange city, quite unlike anything one would expect to find on the Swedish coast. Nils goes in through the huge gate and discovers people dressed in rich clothes from a bygone age. No one seems to notice him at first. He finds his way to the merchants' quarter. People are selling all kinds of precious goods: embroidered silks and satins, gold ornaments, glittering jewels. And now he realizes that the merchants can see him. They are holding out their wares to him, offering all these treasures. Nils tries to make them understand that he could never afford any of it, he is a poor boy. But they persist, and using gestures tell him that he can have anything he wants, if he can just give them one small copper coin. He searches his pockets over and over again but finds they are empty. In the end, he leaves the city, and when he turns round again it has disappeared. "It is the lost city of the sea traders," explains the stork. "They were drowned beneath the waves long ago, but once every hundred years they come back for a single night. The legend is that if they can sell a single thing to a mortal, they will be allowed to return to the world; but they never do." Nils feels his heart is going to break. He could so easily have saved all these good people and their city, but he has failed them.

It seemed to me that both stories expressed the same feeling with quite unusual clarity. If only...
...more

flag 54 likes · Like · see review

Apr 07, 2017 Sidharth Vardhan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: europe, nobel, children-books, woman-authors, graphic-picture, list-le-monde

There are three very good reasons to read this book - the author is first woman ever to win a Nobel Prize, it appears on Le Monde list of best books of 20th century And the fact that the protagonist's picture appears on 20 Swedish krona banknotes. The talking animal surpass those of Kipling's Jungle Book in detail and characterization, and they are also talking about such subjects like deforestation and industrialisation. And there is additional flavour of histories, local folktales and legends.

flag 35 likes · Like · see review

Jun 20, 2016 Susan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

The Wonderful Adventure of Nils Holgersson, is a Swedish childrens classic. Published in 1906, the book actually resulted from a commission from the National Teachers Association to write a geography reader. Author Selma Lagerlof apparently spent three years studying Nature and also investigating folklore and legends from around the country, before writing this book.

The story itself involves a fourteen year old boy called Nils who is a bit lazy and naughty. Amongst the mischief he gets up to is ...more

flag 14 likes · Like · see review

May 30, 2016 Leah rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: children-literature, scandinavian

This book will give you so much.
How is it that Swedish writers always find the right words for expressing children's thoughts and feelings? Lagerlöf does a great job, not only in describing the Swedish landscape, but also in describing and telling Nils' story. It is a wonderful piece of literature and should be read to every child.
You can learn a lot from Nils Holgersson. It deals with topics different to speak about, like death, sickness or growing up. And while writing about it in such a ...more

flag 14 likes · Like · see review

May 18, 2017 Phoenix2 rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: kids, teens

Shelves: classics

A big book, but full of nice stories of the wonderful adventures of Nils, a boy who was turned tiny and went on a trip on his goose (or was it a duck, I can't remember?) But what I do remember is that the book had some magical stories to tell. Especially loved the one with the magical city and the one with the deer.

flag 12 likes · Like · see review

May 15, 2011 Nick rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I was about 10 years old, and looking for something to read on a quiet Sunday afternoon in summer, when I ran across a battered and faded copy of The Wonderful Adventures of Nils. Originally published in Sweden in 1906-7, it tells the story of a naughty farmer's lad who has what we would today call attitude, toward his parents, toward farming, and toward the animals on the farm. He's a terror, in short, and his parents despair of him. An elf turns him into a tiny version of himself (just go with ...more

flag 11 likes · Like · see review

Jul 20, 2018 Smitha Murthy rated it really liked it

Shelves: friendship, classic, fiction, women-writers, fantasy, children, read-with-jo

Theres so much to the world of reading, sigh. And I continue to explore more aspects of Childrens Literature. In The Wonderful Adventures of Nils, Selma Lagerlof has created a slow, mindful book that draws you into a world of adventure, fun, and learning. Initially, I found the pace of the book a bit slow, and thought it might be boring. But I caught myself just in time - we are usd to fast-paced action thriller of novels - we are not used to mindful novels. This is one of those.

This book ...more

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Apr 05, 2014 Susan rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Wonderful fantasy book for children or anyone who has not already read it. I read it several times over the last 70 years.

flag 6 likes · Like · see review

Aug 27, 2017 Sookie rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens, translated, literary-fiction

Sometimes its the perspective of a child that gives adults much needed clarity. Without hyperbole, metaphors or euphemisms, this wonderful tale of adventure manages to show the complexity of nature and the abuse nature has gone through in the hands of humans. Selma Lagerlöf writes story about a boy who isn't always very nice and one day annoys an elf enough to get himself hit by a spell - the boy, Nils, can now understand animals and birds along with turning into a very tiny person. He travels ...more

flag 5 likes · Like · see review

Aug 01, 2018 Swati rated it really liked it · review of another edition

The Wonderful Adventures of Nils is very unlike many of the other children's classics that I have read in recent times. For one, it moves slowly. Sometimes tiresomely so. But after a point you realize that the slowness allows you to take in every detail that Selma Lagerlof lays out for you much like the aerial views that Nils is treated to when he rides with the geese above the clouds.

Lagerlof weaves in many delightful Swedish folktales into Nils' adventures, which add great flavour and colour. ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Nov 17, 2015 Manuel Alfonseca rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

ENGLISH: This was one of my favorite books during my early adolescence. To practice French, my uncle Felipe gave me a copy of Nils translated into that language, which I proceeded to translate into Spanish during the next two summers (at the age of 12 and 13). I still have the pages where I wrote the translated text. Apart from some mischief, like systematically translating "oie" by "duck" ("goose" sounded bad to me), the translation is quite acceptable.

This is the seventh time I've read this ENGLISH: This was one of my favorite books during my early adolescence. To practice French, my uncle Felipe gave me a copy of Nils translated into that language, which I proceeded to translate into Spanish during the next two summers (at the age of 12 and 13). I still have the pages where I wrote the translated text. Apart from some mischief, like systematically translating "oie" by "duck" ("goose" sounded bad to me), the translation is quite acceptable.

This is the seventh time I've read this book, the first in English translation, because I've usually read it in French or Spanish (including my own). Every time I've read it, I've found something new, and I'm amazed at the author's literary abilities. She, by the way, introduced herself as an unnamed character in her own work.

Given that this book was published in 1906 and 1907, and that each chapter is dated with the day of the week, the day and the month, but not with the year, I have been able to deduce that the year when Nils Holgersson toured Sweden on the back of a white goose was 1904.

Reading Nils led me to become interested in other works by Selma Lagerlöf, which although I didn't like as much as Nils, I found satisfactory: "The story of Gösta Berling" and the collections of stories titled "Invisible links" and "Christ's legends".

ESPAÑOL: Este fue uno de mis libros favoritos durante mi primera adolescencia. Para que practicara el francés, mi tío Felipe me regaló un ejemplar de Nils traducido a esa lengua, que procedí a traducir al español durante los dos veranos siguientes (a la edad de 12 y 13 años). Todavía conservo las cuartillas donde escribí el texto traducido. Aparte de alguna pifia, como traducir sistemáticamente "oie" por "pato" (lo de "ganso" me sonaba mal), la traducción es bastante aceptable.

Esta es la séptima vez que leo este libro, la primera en traducción inglesa, porque usualmente lo he leído en francés o en español (incluida mi propia traducción). Cada vez que lo leo, me descubre algo nuevo y me asombra la habilidad literaria de la autora, que incluso se introdujo como personaje (aunque sin nombrarse) en su propia obra.

Teniendo en cuenta que este libro se publicó en 1906 y 1907, y que cada capítulo está fechado con el día de la semana, el día y el mes, pero no con el año, he podido deducir que el año en que Nils Holgersson recorrió toda Suecia a lomos de un ganso blanco fue el 1904.

Leer Nils me condujo a interesarme por otras obras de Selma Lagerlöf, que aunque no me gustaron tanto como esta, sí me resultaron satisfactorias, como "La saga de Gösta Berling" y las colecciones de cuentos tituladas, "Los lazos invisibles" y "Leyendas de Cristo".
...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Nov 25, 2008 Megen rated it really liked it · review of another edition

I read this for a Scandinavian Children's Literature class in college (surprisingly, one of the best classes I've ever had--thanks Elizabeth for suggesting it). I read several really interesting books in this class and this one is the story of a Swedish boy, Nils, who sees the whole of Sweden and learns about Swedish geography while flying on top a goose. It was originally commissioned by the National Teachers Association as a geography reader for the public schools. I wish the American school ...more

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Apr 24, 2018 Roseyreads rated it liked it · review of another edition

Found out after I had finished the book that the author was asked to write a geography of Sweden for children and this is the result. Lots of interesting little stories mixed in with the geography and my
edition had illustrations by H. Baumhauer. It was a book that had been discarded from the local public library and was in fairly good condition considering the copyright date of 1947!

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Jun 18, 2018 Jess rated it liked it · review of another edition

As the author wrote this with an emphasis on the geography of Sweden, some portions of each chapter were a bit slow and dry. The adventures Nils had were interesting and thought provoking, however if the kids want to find out if there is a happy ending, they'll need to read the sequel on their own. Mama wants to get back to reading Ralph Moody's series aloud.

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Oct 26, 2015 Robert rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

I loved this book so much as a kid. And that's the first book I've tried to read in Hungarian, as a 6 year old (Romanian being my native language, and Hungarian my mother-tongue).

flag 3 likes · Like · see review

Nov 16, 2019 Marja rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: classics, female-author, swedish-literature, animals, childrens, nature, fairytales

I remember watching an animated television series based on this book when I was a kid but I don't remember much about it. This was the was the first time that I read this book. It's full of cute, little (educational) fairy tales about (Swedish) animals and nature.

The most interesting aspect of this book was the geese. Long story short, I've spent a considerable part of my life studying geese and for me this offered an interesting perspective on them. I'd give this 3.5 stars if half stars were ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jun 04, 2016 Amber Linde rated it liked it · review of another edition

Recommends it for: classic lovers

Shelves: childrens-books, 2016

The tale of the little boy Nils Holgersson and his adventure to the North on the back of a gander is, after the Pippi Longstocking-series, probably the most famous Swedish childrens story. I had never read it but it was on my TBR list for ages until this edition crossed my path. I was making my regular visit to one of my favourite book shops when my eye fell on this stunning cover, created by the talented Coralie Bickford-Smith. I had searched the internet before, but beautiful editions of The tale of the little boy Nils Holgersson and his adventure to the North on the back of a gander is, after the Pippi Longstocking-series, probably the most famous Swedish children’s story. I had never read it but it was on my TBR list for ages until this edition crossed my path. I was making my regular visit to one of my favourite book shops when my eye fell on this stunning cover, created by the talented Coralie Bickford-Smith. I had searched the internet before, but beautiful editions of Lagerlöf’s classic were nowhere to be found. Thanks, Coralie and Penguin!

According to the Internet, Selma Lagerlöf was commissioned to write a geography text book, but was struggling with the book’s structure. Eventually, she decided to incorporate various folklore, legends and local fairy tales in the book, and created the main character Nils. Nils Holgersson is an insufferable boy. He maltreats animals, is rude to everyone including his parents and a bully to the other kids. One day, when his parents are off to church and Nils is expected to read the sermon at home, he sees a gnome rummaging through his mother’s things. Being his mean self, he catches him and only lets go of the gnome when the gnome promises to help him learn the sermon. The gnome however, punishes Nils and makes him shrink to gnome-like dimensions.

Nils then flees from his parent’s house and the village because he fears their reaction now he is no longer his old strong self. He barely escapes the farm animals that he used to give a hard time and are now even less likely to help him out. He eventually meets a domesticated gander who wants to fly to Lapland like the wild geese. Nils’ adventure and topograhpy lesson starts when they take off and fly over Sweden. Of course he learns more as much about Sweden as about himself and eventually regrets the things he has done. The book does not end with Nils returning to his parents, but does so quite suddenly when Nils and the gander are only halfway. Lagerlöf has written a sequel though, so it isn’t too strange.

Instead everyone, both those with wings and those without wings, wanted to rise up above the clouds, seek what was beyond there, leave the heavy body that pulled down towards the earth, and soar towards the unearthly. Such longing for the unreachable, for what was hidden behind life, the animals felt only once a year, and it was on that day when they saw the Great Crane Dance.

I do have quite a few reservations considering this book. Firstly, I did not know that Lagerlöf was asked to write a geography book when I started reading, but it is very clear that this is not your regular fairy tale. It might have been an awesome school book because of the folklore, but as a piece of fiction it can be a bit dry and, well, educational. Secondly, although it is amusing at times, it is more often repetitive and slow, while some other parts would go too quickly. Because the main aim of this book is to educate children and teach them morals, it is less of a story than a lesson. That keeps Nils from developing into a more layered character and makes him a stereotype instead.

Then why 3 stars? Although I’m not a fan, I did enjoy reading it. It’s different than the fairy tales by Andersen and the Grimm brothers and it is a very nice way to learn more about Swedish folklore. I only wish I had read this when I was a child – I would have loved it more. I would recommend this to anyone who is interested in folklore, fairy tales and classic children’s books but I would suggest to skip this one if you’re not particularly interested in these genres.

[This review also appeared on https://taleofthelimetree.wordpress.com/] ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jan 05, 2015 Craig Barner rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: fantasy-and-romance, 20th-century-lit, children-s-lit

The Wonderful Adventures of Nils was a pleasant surprise for a number of reasons. I did not expect a great story mostly because in 1902, the Swedish Ministry of Education commissioned Selma Lagerlof to write the adventure as a way to make geography a bit more entertaining for school children. As a result, I thought the didactic purpose behind the book would result in a didactic story.

It was anything but! This is an entertaining story. I did not know the location of places where the adventure The Wonderful Adventures of Nils was a pleasant surprise for a number of reasons. I did not expect a great story mostly because in 1902, the Swedish Ministry of Education commissioned Selma Lagerlof to write the adventure as a way to make geography a bit more entertaining for school children. As a result, I thought the didactic purpose behind the book would result in a didactic story.

It was anything but! This is an entertaining story. I did not know the location of places where the adventure takes place. Those who do not know Swedish geography should not let their ignorance dissuade them from a great read. It might help to have a map to look at.

The story is a morality tale. What is a morality tale? It's many things and often involves a change of heart in a key character, who was once bad, is pulled into an adventure, realizes the errors of his/her ways and turns good.

In the Lagerlof story, the chief delight of Nils Holgersson, the boy who forms the center of the work, is to eat and sleep, and after that he likes to make mischief. He takes great delight in hurting the animals on his family's farm. After an elf shrinks Nils into a small person who is able to talk with animals, they are thrilled to see the boy reduced to their size. While this is happening, wild geese are flying over the farm on a migration north for the spring, and a white farm goose attempts to join the wild ones. In an attempt to salvage something before his family returns, Nils holds on to the bird's neck as it successfully takes off and joins the wild birds. Off Nils goes on his adventure across Sweden.

Knowing that a book is a morality take would prevent many from reading "The Wonderful Adventure of Nils," but this is a good morality tale in part because it is so entertaining. There is danger--mostly from a fox and crows--enchantment and the slow maturation of Nils from a uncouth ruffian into a man.

I especially liked two sections, including one where Nils, one night in a grotto on the sea, discovers a mystically beautiful city. It's a vision of Plato's Golden City. After visiting the city, Nils goes to fetch a friend to show him Elysium, but he discovers that he cannot return to the city. He receives a one-time vision of perfection. Despondent by his loss of paradise, Nils is flown by the geese over a real, dilapidated city, and the boy realizes something: It's better that the mystical city of perfection is shown to only a few fortunates so that it doesn't decay like a real city would. Moreover, the brief vision of perfection can serve as a guidepost to Nils for life in a world that mirrors the dilapidated city.

I also loved a section where Nils discovers an old peasant woman, who has been abandoned by her children. It's incredibly sad and makes Nils realize how blessed he is. I plan to return to that section in the future when I get down.

Many 20th Century fantasy works emerged from the UK, including those by George McDonald, JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis and others. I enjoyed The Wonderful Adventures of Nils in part because the story emerged from outside the English-speaking world. Central Europe's fantasy tradition, via ETA Hoffman, the Grimm Bros. and others, is a bit older than Western Europe's. ...more

flag 4 likes · Like · see review

Mar 10, 2012 Sylvia rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: world-literature, young-readers, challenge-2012, read-2012

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Oct 10, 2014 Aly Zhang rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Shelves: my-recommendations

Written by Nobel winning Swedish author Selma Lagerlöf about one young boy's journey across Sweden with various animal friends, this parable is truly one for all ages. Through the didactic (and at times socially critical) tour of her country, I learnt of Sweden's historical and industrial national treasures, their proud and rustic sensibility, and the belief in betterment through experience and empathy. The anthropomorphic animals are so realistically tailored, and I loved how I could always ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jun 09, 2017 Sherrymoon rated it did not like it · review of another edition

As i read Nils Holgersson i was a young primary teacher,maybe 22 years old.I started the reading under the influence of some educational recommendations. But i never did fall in love with the book. I had to force me to continue, it was for me more a: "You should read that!" But as always when you force yourself to do something you have already lost the interest, and so i let Holgersson fly with his goose!

As of recommendation, i tried to read Nils Holgersson to my pupils, 9 and 10 yers old, what ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Jul 11, 2011 Jenny rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Part fairy tale, part an imaginative wander around Sweden and its natural history. Initially written for school children it paid great attention to the ecology of different areas of that country. Yet you wouldn't know it. Woven around the adventures of a young boy who was turned elf-size for not keeping a promise, and who goes on to follow a flock of geese in their travels. It was written in 1909 and the author was the first woman to win the Nobel Prize for Literature. Very cleverly written. Age ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

May 28, 2012 Mae rated it really liked it · review of another edition

It's about a boy whose mammy and daddy are gone away for a day. The boy finds a leprechaun while he is eating in the garden. The leprechaun makes him as small as a bird. Then the boy finds a goose, and the goose says that he has lost the other geese. The boy says he will fly along on the goose's back and help it find the others. They have a lot of adventures together. They even find a bear's cave. The boy falls in. The goose throws a rope in to rescue him, and the boy climbs up on the rope. ...more

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 26, 2012 Vivian rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: children-s

Imagine you have somehow shrunk to the size of an elf and have been carried away on the back of a goose, which begins a long and dangerous journey from which you hope to return.

My fourth grade teacher read this aloud as we happily worked on quiet art projects which occupied our hands and produced life-long keepsakes while at the same time being absorbed by the memorable adventures of a Norse-land boy.

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Feb 11, 2016 siriusedward rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A good book.good way to learn about Sweden.
Read the first part moving on to his return back home.
Loved how gradually Nils changed from a careless unthinking boy to a helpful generous boy....the geese and the animals were fun too.
On to the second part...

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Dec 10, 2009 Manny marked it as to-read · review of another edition

Shelves: swedish-norwegian-and-danish, children

It's very well known in Sweden, but somehow I've never read it!

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Apr 16, 2013 Silvia Ribeiro rated it really liked it · review of another edition

A wonderful picture of Sweden :)

flag 2 likes · Like · see review

Mar 30, 2020 Jim Puskas rated it really liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: ya-juvenile

Every so often, I look for a children's book to read it helps to keep me grounded. The best kids' books (which I suspect are among the most challenging kinds of literature to write well) often point the way to simple truths; a sound reason for reading them.
This is dressed up as a fantastic adventure story, thereby lowering the perceived "barriers to entry". But of course, Lagerlöf the determined educator has a great deal more in mind. The book is an extended lesson in geography and history, ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

Apr 26, 2019 Samar rated it it was ok · review of another edition

Shelves: childrens

This book is a classic and it was published in 1906 and it was specially written for Swedish children but has been translated into English. The book is about a little boy who gets transformed into an elf by another elf and he is taken away from his family and to live in the wild. He goes on a lot of adventures and meets some surprising people and animals. I didnt really like this book because it was published a long time ago and I couldnt quite understand some of the words as I didnt know them. ...more

flag 1 like · Like · see review

« previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 next »

new topic
Discuss This Book

topics	posts	views	last activity
Goodreads Librari...: multiple issues	3	13	Apr 28, 2020 01:00PM
Never too Late to...: * 2017 November: Short Story - The Wonderful Adventures of Nils by Selma Lagerlöf	15	24	Dec 21, 2017 12:03PM

Readers also enjoyed

See similar books…

Genres

Classics

168 users

Fiction

121 users

Fantasy

112 users

Childrens

109 users

European Literature > Swedish Literature

51 users

Adventure

51 users

See top shelves…

About Selma Lagerlöf

Selma Lagerlöf

402 followers

Selma Ottilia Lovisa Lagerlöf (1858-1940) was a Swedish author. In 1909 she became the first woman to ever receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, "in appreciation of the lofty idealism, vivid imagination and spiritual perception that characterize her writings". She later also became the first female member of the Swedish Academy.

Born in the forested countryside of Sweden she was told many of the ...more