Edith Unnerstad facts for kids
Edith Alice Unnerstad (born Tötterman) (July 28, 1900 – December 29, 1982) was a famous Swedish author. She is best known for her wonderful children's books.
Her Life Story
Edith Unnerstad was born in Helsinki, Finland, in 1900. Her parents, Axel and Ingeborg Tötterman, were Swedish. When she was eight, her family moved to the Åland Islands. This was her grandmother's house, which her mother had inherited. In 1910, her family moved to Södertälje, Sweden, and then to Stockholm in 1912. After the First World War, they moved back to Åland.
Edith once said that children's writers often start writing very young. She felt her own writing path began when she was seven or eight. Her first real writing project happened when she was 11. Her sister was in the hospital with scarlet fever and needed something to read. Edith was worried that their favorite books might get damaged by hospital cleaning. So, she decided to write a new book for her sister instead!
She wrote new chapters every day and delivered them to the hospital. Edith said her "book" was a mix of stories inspired by her favorite authors. These included James Fenimore Cooper, Jules Verne, and Zachris Topelius. After that, she couldn't stop writing. Three years later, she had two poems and a story published in a magazine. She used the money to buy new shoes, candy, and a book. Edith went to art school and Detthowska School in Stockholm. In 1924, she married Arvid B. Unnerstad, a civil engineer. They had a daughter named Lena.
Her Books and Writing
Even though Edith loved writing from a young age, her career as an author took some time. She had many things to do, like studying, traveling, getting married, and having a baby. She didn't realize her special talent was writing for children until her own daughter asked for stories.
Her first book, Ufle reser jorden runt, came out in 1932. Over the years, she wrote many books for children and adults. She also wrote poetry. Edith said her favorite topic was always "CHILDHOOD." She felt her grandmother and mother, who were great storytellers, helped her writing. Their tales of their own childhoods, plus her experiences as a child, mother, and grandmother, shaped her stories. She believed she understood childhood because she was once a child herself, and in many ways, still was. This helped her write about it with love.
Edith Unnerstad is especially famous for her series about the Pip-Larsson family. Some of these books were translated into English, like The Saucepan Journey, Little O, The Urchin, and The Pip-Larssons Go Sailing. Her books often show strong, loving families and friends.
She also explored the old craft of hair weaving in two of her books. From the 1830s until the First World War, the Dalecarlia region of Sweden was known for making beautiful items from woven hair. Women from this area traveled all over Europe to sell their creations.
The Journey with Grandmother tells the story of one such trip to Russia. Edith researched this book by traveling to the Soviet Union herself. A Journey to England also features hair weaving. In this story, two children travel to England to find their mother, who disappeared on a hair-weaving trip.
Edith Unnerstad's books were translated into English. They became part of a wave of popular Scandinavian children's books after the Second World War. Her book The Saucepan Journey was made into a Swedish movie in 1950. It also became a Swedish TV series called Pip-Larsson in 1998.
She won the Nils Holgersson Plaque in 1957 for her book Journey with Grandmother. Edith Unnerstad passed away on December 29, 1982, in Djursholm.
Awards
- Children's Book Prize 1949
- Nils Holgersson Plaque 1957
Children's Books
- Uffe reser jorden runt, 1932
- Hoppentott i Vanliga skogen, 1938
- Muck, 1939
- Tummelunsarna i Vänliga skogen, 1939
- Pikku-Lotta, 1941
- Kastrullresan, 1949 (translated as The Saucepan Journey)
- Nu seglar Pip-Larssons, 1950 (translated as The Pip-Larssons Go Sailing)
- Ankhästen, 1950
- Pysen, 1952 (translated as Pysen or The Urchin)
- Pip-Larssons Lilla O, 1955 (translated as Little O)
- Farmorsresan, 1956 (translated as The Spettecake Holiday)
- Kattorna fran Sommarön, 1957 (translated as The Cats from Summer Island)
- Klåfingerdagen, 1957 (translated as Little O's Naughty Day)
- Lasseman spelar, 1958 (translated as Larry Makes Music)
- Bollarulla, 1958
- Mormorsresan, 1959 (translated as The Journey with Grandmother or Grandmother's Journey)
- Englandsresan, 1960 (translated as "Journey to England")
- Toppen och jag på torpet, 1962 (translated as Toppen and I at the Croft)
- Boken om Pip-Larssons, 1962
- Vi tankte gå till skogen, 1964 (translated as The Ditch Picnic or The Picnic)
- Sagor vid dammen, 1965
- Två små fnissor, 1966 (translated as Two Little Gigglers)
- Twilight Tales, 1967 (translation from original Swedish)
- Kasperssons far till landet, 1969
- Trollen i Tassuvaara, Ahlen & Akerlund, 1969 (translated as A House for Spinner's Grandmother)
- Klarbärskalaset, 1970 (translated as Cherry Tree Party)
- Mickie, 1971
