Ola

2013
Authors:

Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire

A classic that sparked the illustrious careers of two Caldecott-honored authors and illustrators

This delightfully illustrated book is the enchanting story of a dauntless Norwegian boy who goes skiing one day and has many unusual adventures before returning home. He meets new friends, joins a merry wedding party, encounters a howling dragon, and learns bits of folklore from fishermen in the far north while pulling codfish from the icy waters.

A picture of Norway . . . so complete and vivid that a reader of any age can gain from the book real knowledge and understanding of the country.

New York Times

Ola is the enchanting story of a dauntless Norwegian boy who goes skiing one day and has many unusual adventures before returning home. He meets new friends, joins a merry wedding party, encounters a howling dragon, and learns bits of folklore from fishermen in the far north while pulling codfish from the icy waters.

This delightfully illustrated book is at once a true glimpse of life as it once was in Norway and a tribute to Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire’s zest for living.

Known for their vibrant and imaginative interpretations of Scandinavian folklore, Greek and Norse mythology, and American history, the books of Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire have entertained readers for more than seventy-five years. The couple received the Caldecott Medal for their book Abraham Lincoln and were later awarded the Regina Medal for their distinguished contribution to children’s literature.

A picture of Norway . . . so complete and vivid that a reader of any age can gain from the book real knowledge and understanding of the country.

New York Times

American children’s literature is much richer than it ever could have been without Ingri and Edgar d’Aulaire.

Horn Book

Ola can’t be told, it has to be experienced.

Barbara Bader, Kirkus Reviews

A book of rare quality and significance.

A. C. Moore, Atlantic Bookshelf

This delightfully illustrated book is at once a true glimpse of life as it once was in Norway and a tribute to Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire’s zest for living.

NORTANA News

Scandinavian culture comes alive in the detailed illustrations (particularly the wedding meal scene) and the lyrical text by these master storytellers.

Horn Book Magazine

Ola and Siri paper doll cut-outs
(click on image for large, printable version)

In 1959, Ingri and Edgar Parin d’Aulaire met H. George Caspari at a cocktail party. Caspari, who lived in a neighboring Connecticut town, produced a line of museum-quality greeting cards and paper accessories that he had specially printed in Switzerland. After their first encounter, Caspari and the d’Aulaires were frequent guests at each other’s homes. One evening the conversation turned to the possibility of collaboration. Caspari proposed that he reproduce several selections from the d’Aulaires’ book illustrations as high-quality greeting cards to add to his line of gift items. As a fan of the d’Aulaires’ books, he was particularly struck by the vibrancy and bold colors displayed in OLA and OLA AND BLAKKEN. Since his catalogue included paper napkins and table mats decorated with works of art, they decided in addition to try something unique. The d’Aulaires would create a set of cut-out paper dolls from two characters in those books and Caspari would print and distribute them on heavy-duty paper. Those mats would then serve two purposes – as decorative yet functional place mats for children and, after dinner, as fun projects for the children to cut out and play with. Today, these unusual mats, faithfully reproduced here, are in their original printing among the rarest of d’Aulaire memorabilia.

Ola_paperdoll_sm

 

 

Siri_paperdoll_sm