My First Root Children

All through winter the root children sleep underground. When spring comes Mother Nature wakes them up, and they get ready to go outside into the sunshine with the beetles, bees and ladybirds. They play in the forest with the butterflies. In summer they dance in the meadow and by the stream. When Fall comes and the cold wind starts to blow, Mother Earth calls them back underground to go to sleep for the winter.

The classic, seasonal Story of the Root Children is presented for the first time as a board book for very young children. While the overall story remains the same, the language has been simplified. All of the beautiful original illustrations are included, with some sympathetically adapted to fit the new format.

Sibylle von Olfers (1881�1916) was a German children's author and illustrator. Well-known for her blend of natural observation and simple design in the art nouveau style, her work has been likened to Kate Greenaway and Elsa Beskow. Encouraged by her aunt, writer and painter Marie von Olfers, Sibylle studied at art college in Berlin. At aged 25 she took the name Sister Maria Aloysia and published her first picture book, The Story of the Root Children. She created six more picture books in the following decade before her untimely death. Her legacy is a collection of beloved children�s books including The Story of the Snow Children and The Story of the Wind Children.