The Kingdom of the Elves: Astonishing Adventures around the World
Edited classic books of Palmer Cox and Anna Khvolson, which were
Bestsellers in Canada, USA, Russia and Germany with
More than 1,000,000 copies sold over the XIX-XXIst centuries, describing
Unbelievable and entertaining adventures of the elves around the world, which
Teach kids how:
- People live in other countries,
- To deal with difficult situations, and to
- Be kind, resilient, responsible and compassionate.
Together with the sprites, children will learn about the sea, swallows and bees; how to launch kites, bike and catch fish; how to help others and overcome difficulties. They will visit many countries and learn about nature, people, and culture in these lands.
The book series
Book 1: The Elves at the North Pole (Episode 1: A Dream of Eternal Ice; Episode 2: The Elves at the North Pole; and Episode 3: The Elves and the Whale).
Book 2: From China to India (Episode 4: Fishing in China; Episode 5: The Kites and the Boats; Episode 6: The Elves in India; and Episode 7: The Circus and the Ballgame).
Book 3: Welcome to Europe (Episode 8. Singing Lessons and William Tell; Episode 9. German school and France; Episode 10. The Bicycles and Lawn Tennis; and Episode 11. Skating in London and the Mill in Holland).
Book 4: Long Journey Home (Episode 12. The Spindle, the Dentist, and the Laboratory; Episode 13. The Zoo in Vienna; Episode 14. The Snowman in Warsaw and Home, sweet, home!)
History
In 1887, Canadian illustrator Palmer Cox published The Brownies, Their Book about imaginary little sprites resembling the popular house spirits of Celtic folklore, who inhabit houses and aid in tasks in return for small gifts of food. Cox's Brownies were little men drawn to represent many professions and nationalities who had mischievous adventures together. This series of humorous verse books and comic strips about kind-hearted pixies soon became incredibly popular and were considered the first commercial comic books, the characters of which were used in advertisements for over 40 companies, including Procter & Gamble and Kodak.
In 1889, the Russian children’s writer Anna Khvolson wrote The Kingdom of the Little Ones: the Astonishing Adventures of the Forest Lilliputians (Tsarstvo malyutok: udivitelnye priklyucheniya lesnykh chelovechkov). This book was followed by four additional editions in Russia and finally was published in Germany in 1920. After the breakthrough, the stories about Muzilka (Cox’s Dude), the main character of the adventures, and his friends appeared frequently in periodicals. The last known edition in Russia was in 2002.
In The Kingdom of the Little Ones: the Astonishing Adventures of the Forest Lilliputians, tiny heroes travel around the world. In the first book, they visit the North Pole and China. In the second, they travel to India, Italy and Switzerland. In the third book, the elves go to Germany, France, England and Holland. Finally, they return home through Germany, Belgium, Austria and Poland. These heroes are endowed with immense curiosity and a passion to discover new and unfamiliar places.
In 2014, Julia Shayk, a journalist and lawyer, decided to remake the books for her daughter because both versions of Cox and Khvolson needed editing and corrections to compensate for cultural and social changes of the XXth century. She restructured the text of Anna Khvolson to make the story more coherent; then she translated it into English.
Would You Like To Know More?
Join the adventure! Scroll to the top of the page and select the “BUY†button.