The “New Year’s Bargain” by Susan Coolidge is a lovely children's story with charming illustrations throughout by Addie Ledyard, first published in 1871 and again in 1884.
The story takes place in the Black Forest in Germany where two little children, Max and Thekla, come across Time creating the months of the year out of small moments. Max is unable to resist taking some moments for himself, and when the months come to demand their time back, he bargains with them to tell he and Thekla a story each month and to bring them a present. The stories have a mythical aura while still maintaining a Victorian sensibility about women's roles and dead children. Even so, it is still a fascinating read. To be read to children by adults and scholars of children's literature should definitely take a look.
The 13 chapters of this book are:
I. The Bargain with the Months.
II. The Bear Story.
III. Little Tot.
IV. “Maria”.
V. May’s Garden.
VI. The Little Housekeepers.
VII. The Last of the Fairies.
VIII. The Story of a Little Spark.
IX. The Desert Island.
X. Nippie Nutcracker.
XI. “Chusey”.
XII. How the Cat kept Christmas.
Conclusion.—What was on the Tree?
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TABS/KEYWORDS: The New Years Bargain, Max, Thekla, folklore, fairy tale, fairytale, myth, legend, fable, storyteller, narrator, Little one, child, children’s, cried, old. Good, great, come ye away, voices, poor, Grandfather, woods, forest, April, Dotty, cat, brown, hair, girls, boy, march September, red, August, fairy, squirrel, wild, friends, brother, snow, November, sun, turkey, sketch, laughter, flowers, December, Greedy, boat, Bargain, Months, Bear, Little Tot, Maria, May, Little Housekeepers, Last of the Fairies, Little Spark, Desert Island, Nippie Nutcracker, Chusey, Christmas, Conclusio, What was on the Tree