E l s a  B e s k o w
PELLE'S NEW SUIT

Editor's Note: "Pelle's New Suit" was written in the 1920's by the beloved Swedish author Elsa Beskow. This sweet story illustrates so very clearly the "Law of Equilibrium," or the "Law of Give and Take" to young children. I have read it over and over to groups of children; it gives so much in its simple text. Pelle must give in order to receive. He takes good care of his lamb and the lamb gives him wool. He wants his Grandmother to spin the wool into yarn for him, and she agrees as long as Pelle will tend her cows while she is spinning. And so it goes, Pelle does for others while they do for him. And last of all, Pelle tells his lamb 'thank you' for the wool that made him a new suit! Share this gem of a story with your children.

THERE ONCE WAS A LITTLE SWEDISH BOY WHOSE NAME WAS PELLE. Now, Pelle had a lamb which was all his own and which he took care of by himself.

The lamb grew and Pelle grew. And the lamb's wool grew longer and longer, but Pelle's coat only grew shorter!

One day Pelle took a pair of shears and cut off all the lamb's wool. Then he took the wool to his grandmother and said: "Granny dear, please card this wool for me!"

"That I will, my dear," said his grandmother, "if you will pull the weeds in my carrot patch for me."

So Pelle pulled the weeds in Granny's carrot patch and Granny carded Pelle's wool.

Then Pelle went to his other grandmother and said: "Grandmother dear, please spin this wool into yarn for me!"

"That I will gladly do, my dear," said his grandmother, "if while I am spinning it you will tend my cows for me."

And so Pelle tended Grandmother's cows and Grandmother spun Pelle's yarn.

Then Pelle went to a neighbor who was a painter and asked him for some paint with which to color his yarn.

"What a silly little boy you are!" laughed the painter. "My paint is not what you want to color your wool. But if you will row over to the store to get a bottle of turpentine for me, you may buy yourself some dye out of the change from the shilling."

So Pelle rowed over to the store and bought a bottle of turpentine for the painter, and bought himself a large sack of blue dye out of the change from the shilling.

Then he dyed the wool himself until it was all, all blue.

And then Pelle went to his mother and said: "Mother dear, please weave this yarn into cloth for me."

"That I will gladly do," said his mother, "if you will take care of your little sister for me."

So Pelle took good care of his little sister, and Mother wove the wool into cloth.

Then Pelle went to the tailor: "Dear Mr. Tailor, please make a suit for me out of this cloth."

"Is that what you want, you little rascal?" said the tailor. "Indeed I will, if you will rake my hay and bring in my wood and feed my pigs for me."

So Pelle raked the tailor's hay and fed his pigs.

And then he carried in all the wood. And the tailor had Pelle's suit ready that very Saturday evening.

And on Sunday morning Pelle put on his new suit and went to his lamb and said: "Thank you very much for my new suit, little lamb."

"Ba-a-ah," said the lamb, and it almost sounded as if the lamb were laughing.