This is the story of the acorn children Woody and Little Pip and their friend Hazel. The acorn boys are blown by a great gust of wind to an adventure through the forest while their unknowing mother and Mrs. Hazelnut have coffee and chat. The children go on all sorts of adventures, meeting gnomes, trolls, lizards, while delivering gnome beards, Luckily Mr. Squirrel comes by and offers to go locate the boys, he does not realize that Little Hazel has stowed away in his tail. They go off and save the day the by locating the children on their adventures and returning them safely to their mothers at the oak tree. The illustrations in this book are gorgeous, subtle hued watercolor paintings in a whimsical realistic style. I love the fantasy of the characters of forest folk and all the escapades they have. Readers will fall in love with these characters, story and illustrations.

Originally published in 1939, as Ocke, Nutta, och Pillerill, this charming Swedish picture-book follows the adventures of two Acorn boys - Woody and Little Pip - and a young Hazelnut girl named (what else?) Hazel, who all find themselves far from home one sunny Autumn day. Climbing aboard a large oak leaf, Woody and Pip are blown across the forest, and - having landed in the midst of some gnomes doing laundry - are pressed into the delivery business. Meanwhile, Hazel hitches a ride with Mr. Squirrel, when he goes in search of the missing Acorn boys, and also finds herself abroad in the woods. Meeting up, the three children have many wonderful adventures - floating downstream on a home-made raft, playing with the Chestnut boys - before they are eventually returned to the bosom of their worried families.

Although I wouldn't describe the story of Woody, Hazel, and Little Pip as one of my favorites, when it comes to the slew of Elsa Beskow books I've been reading lately, it is still quite engaging, from a visual perspective. It's not that there's anything specifically wrong with the story, of course - although I do think that titles like The Sun Egg and Children of the Forest are superior explorations of the "elfin creatures of the woodland" theme - but it just didn't grab me. Beskow's artwork, on the other hand, is just lovely, perfectly capturing the warm light of an Autumn landscape, and the insouciant charm of her forest dwelling characters. Recommended to young readers who enjoy tales of "little people," and to fans of Beskow's artwork. ( )