In a classic fairy-tale plot, Nils the feckless gooseboy offends a house elf who miniaturizes him. He promptly hops on the back of Morten goosey-gander and takes up with a flock of wild geese, adventuring and exploring the regions of Sweden. Lagerlöf wrote this originally to be a geography book about Sweden, and accordingly there are descriptions of the land, but she includes regional stories as well, as well as talking animals of all kinds. It reminds me of Black Beauty in the animal welfare storyline: Nils quickly regrets his former cruelty to animals once he's in their power. Unfortunately, the edition I bought is only half the story! I will have to buy the second half to see if Nils and Morten goosey-gander get home safely and how Nils effects his transformation back into a human sized boy. I'm also looking forward to reading Lagerlöf's books for adults.