Princess Sylvie by Elsa Beskow

Child led adventure is the hi-light of this story! When a girl asks her father, the king, to leave the castle walls they uncover that the unknown can be an interesting plave. Princess Sylvie is seeking adventure and curious about the unknown, this is an age appropriate desire. Around age 6-8 children begin to challenge their boundaries asking, “Can I go by myself?” or “I’m playing over here.” We can support children who seek this independence and adventure by providing opportunity to do so in a safe way.

Teachers may provide a chance for children to stretch their legs by sending them on a special errand alone. This channels the desire to push boundaries in a way that benefits everyone instead of with mis-behavior. Another way to encourage responsible independence is by setting up routines that allow children to make decisions. A child may want to see how often he/she can ask and go to the water fountain. Instead the teacher can create a special pass that allows them to go to the fountain as often as they want, as long as they take the pass. This builds upon the student teacher trust, and gives the student more control and independence.

Like Princess Sylvie, sometimes our students are to young to go outside the castle walls alone. In this case, the teacher is charged with creating an experience in the classroom that makes the student feel like they are on a (safe) adventure. See this cozy corner that the teacher has turned into a secret cave. As the preschoolers were tempted to crawl under the table, the teacher decided to make that part of their day instead of saying, “No” she made it a safe and special choice.

This book boasts beautiful illustrations and a detailed story line. The text can be lengthy for a read-a-loud and is best suited for an audience 6-8 years old. Bonus, this story features a great female character who isn’t your typical princess.

I’m not the only one who thinks it’s great. See the accolades here:
Translated into 14 different languages
1952 Nils Holgerson Plaque
1958 the Elsa Beskow Plaque was established by the Swedish Library Association

More on the author: http://www.florisbooks.co.uk/authors/elsa-beskow.php