The Wonderful Adventures of Nils by Selma Lagerlöf. Short summary

5 seconds

The bully Niels played a cruel joke on the dwarf. For that, the gnome reduced the boy to tiny size. Niels goes on a journey with his pet goose, Martin, and a flock of wild geese.

1 minute

In a Swedish village lived a boy named Niels. He loved to be mischievous and didn’t like to study. Niels ruined birds’ nests and wouldn’t let his pets pass. Especially the geese and the cat suffered because of him. When they sensed the bully approaching, they scattered in terror in different directions.

One day Nils decided to play a cruel joke on the little man, and was punished for it. The stranger turned out to be a dwarf. He reduced Niels to a tiny size. The hero wants to find a wizard to return his appearance. He discovers that he can understand what the animals and birds are saying.

Wild geese fly past the yard. They try to persuade the domestic birds to fly with them. Martin, the house goose, follows them. Niels wanted to hold him off, so he grabbed hold and took off with Martin into the sky. The goose was able to catch up with the flock, which had stopped for the night.

Nils helps Martin get a drink, and the heroes begin to help each other. The boy saves one of the birds from the fox, after which the flock lets him stay and he begins his journey with the wild geese.