Woody, Hazel, and Little Pip

Written and Illustrated by Elsa Beskow

Flying through the air on oak leaves! Delivering freshly laundered troll beards! Sailing on a leaf raft! Riding up and down in a chestnut shell! The fun never stops for the acorn, hazelnut, and chestnut children on this magical autumn day in the forest!

Read more about Woody, Hazel, and Little Pip here:

Woody, Hazel and Little Pip: Mini edition (Elsa Beskow Mini series)‍ ‍Woody, Hazel and Little Pip: Beskow, Elsa: 9781782507284: Amazon.com: Books

Woody, Hazel and Little Pip by Elsa Beskow | Goodreads

Do you like the acorn family’s little house in the oak branches? For another book about a treehouse, check out my book guide for Miss Twiggley’s Tree by Dorothea Warren Fox.

IDEAS FOR BRINGING WOODY, HAZEL, AND LITTLE PIP ALIVE

1. Play I Spy in the magical forest. Here are some ideas to get you started:

•      Who lives in a house high up in the branches of a tree? How do they get up to their house? Can you find a swing outside their house?

•      Who lives in a toadstool house? What kind of pet does he keep on a leash attached to a post outside his toadstool?

•       Mrs. Acorn invites many different guests to her party. Look at the last two pages of the story. How many animals do you see? How many birds? How many bugs? How many little magical characters? Would you like to go to this party?

2. Learn about acorns, hazelnuts, and chestnuts and the trees they grow on.

• Acorn | Definition & Facts | Britannica

• Hazelnut | Description, Species, & Facts | Britannica

• Chestnut | Description, Uses, Species, & Facts | Britannica

3. Did you know you can use an acorn cap as a whistle? I remember doing this when I was a kid.

• How to Whistle an Acorn Cap – ScienceToyMaker

4. It’s fun to make crafts with chestnuts, acorns, and other natural materials.. You could even try to make some of the characters and scenery from Woody, Hazel, and Little Pip. Here are a few of the many ideas available online.

• Chestnut and acorn animals - simple fall craft inspiration

• Chestnut Zoo: Fall Craft with Kids

• I gathered chestnuts and acorns in the park and created something fantastic! It will enchant you!

5. Acorns are more popular with squirrels than with humans, but you can make a lot of delicious things with hazelnuts! Here are some recipe ideas! (Or, to save time, you can just eat a spoonful of Nutella…)

• Hazelnut Recipes - Hazel Heart Farms

• 21 Hazelnut Desserts to Make ASAP

MORE INFORMATION ABOUT ELSA BESKOW’S BOOKS AND IDEAS FOR BRINGING THEM ALIVE

1. Click here for a short biography of Elsa Beskow and a complete list of all her books in order of publication. 

• Elsa Beskow, Swedish children's picture book author and illustrator

2. Do you want to literally see Elsa Brskow’s illustrations come to life before your eyes? Check out these fun videos that stick VERY closely to the images in her books. Yes, they’re in Swedish. But if you read the books first, you will understand exactly what’s going on.

These three stories are a non-magical series based on Elsa Beskow’s own childhood experiences and set in the late 1800s. FYI The fourth and fifth stories in this series are Uncle Blue’s New Boat and Peter and Lotta’s Christmas. The first four titles are available in a combined volume called The Peter and Lotta Collection.

• Aunt Green, Aunt Brown, and Aunt Lavendar Tant grön, tant brun och tant gredelin (1968)

• Aunt Brown’s Birthday Tant Bruns födelsedag

• Peter and Lotta’s Adventure Petter och Lotta på äventyr

This is a magical winter/Christmas story!

• Ollie’s Ski Trip Olles skidfärd

3. This is a low-tech stop-motion video of Elsa Beskow’s first children’s book. You and your kids could make a super-simple video like this about one of Elsa Beskow’s stories (or any favorite book).

• The Tale of the Little, Little Old Woman Sagan om den lilla, lilla gumman./The story of the little little woman of Elsa Beskow.

4. How cool is this? Pianist Daniel Beskow (Elsa’s great-grandson) and vocalist Josefine Anderson made a beautiful album of songs based on Elsa Beskow’s books. Here’s an enchanting 5-minute video featuring some of the music along with Elsa’s illustrations and lovely images of nature. 

• Fairytales Official Trailer Nordic Light Duo.

Here are some places you can listen to the album. It’s also available on CD.

• Fairytales: Nordic Light Duo - Album by Nordic Light Duo | Spotify

• ‎Fairytales: Nordic Light Duo by Nordic Light Duo — Apple Music Classical

• Amazon.com: Fairytales: Nordic Light Duo : Nordic Light Duo: Digital Music (you can listen free with a Prime membership)

Don’t understand Swedish? No worries. Click here to read the lyrics to the songs in English and see some of the pictures they’re based on.

• Fairytales - The album | josefineandersson

5. This video shares some information about Elsa and her books, including a visit to a delightful interactive museum exhibit from 3:00 to 5:00. It could be fun to set up your own little Elsa Beskow world in your home or classroom - either child-size or doll/stuffed animal size. (Tip: the narrator speaks VERY slowly! Try increasing the playback speed!)

• The Fairytale World of Elsa Beskow — Workshop with Ingrid Kullberg-Bendz

Here are some photos of the exhibit.

• Elsa Beskow's Fairytale World | Culture

6.  Make Elsa Beskow-themed puzzles and games with these images and other copyright-free images available online. (Many of Elsa’s books are in the public domain.)20 Free Whimsical Elsa Beskow PrintablesElsa Beskow calendars are another great source of her pictures for crafts or framing. If making your own puzzles and games sounds like too much work, you can buy them here. The Magic of Elsa Beskow - Challenge & Fun, Inc.

Book Guide copyright 2026 by K. A. Stinson. Feel free to use it in your home, classroom, book club, or homeschool.