The Elves and The Shoemaker (Ladybird Well Loved Tales) by Vera Southgate

The Elves and The Shoemaker (Ladybird Well Loved Tales) Reviews

• 
  Debbie W.

  Which child wouldn't love the colorful, detailed illustrations in this well-loved tale? The shoes the elves sneakily make are so exquisite!
• 
  booklady

  "Harry Potter gave Dobby clothes and now Dobby is FREEEEEEEEEEEE!"
  J.K. Rowling's loveable house elf, Dobby, was released by the gift of a used sock. In this beloved fairy tale, the Shoemaker and his wife make a whole set of new clothes, shoes and socks in thanksgiving to the pair of elves who rescued their flagging business when they most needed it! Absolutely adorable story! Fully five stars++
• 
  David

  While significantly shorter than Das Kapital, as a Marxist critique of the fashion industry in the 21st century, this pamphlet cannot be bettered.
  
  The capitalist business owner, who cannot make a profit due to his failed business model, is forced to rely on the labour of unpaid interns who are required to work in unsuitable conditions at anti-social hours, while wearing only rags. As a result of this exploitation of the workers, the capitalist business owner becomes wealthy while the workers remain poor.
  
  Marx used two commodities, a coat and 10 yards of linen, to illustrate his theory of commodity fetishism; he could equally have used leather and the boots made by the elves to make his point.
  
  Elves of the world, unite! You have nothing to lose but your chains.
• 
  Hemangini

  This is a wonderful short story, especially for children. It has a simple storyline told with the help of pictures which are fun and beautiful. I think reading it to your child as he/she sleeps makes for a great bedtime story. The shoemaker and his wife are very poor and one day the shoemaker cuts his last pair of shoe materials and leaves it on the table thinking, 'this is the last I have, it will decide my future further.' He goes to sleep and leaves the cutting on the table to sew in the morning. But as they say, night time is magic time....
  
  Have fun reading :)
  
• 
  Dane Cobain

  This one was a fun read because I’d forgotten that it existed. It’s quite a cool little tale, though curiosity is punished.
  
  
• 
  Set

  This is a fairy tale about brownies that are set free from the free given gift of clothing. They have the means to make their clothes but a brownie is bound by magic to clean and work.
• 
  Hamie

  Read this book as part of work.
  A heart warming story that reminds us about reciprocity.
• 
  Safnaz Jaylan

  Childhood favourites.
• 
  MysticalPotato 🔮🥔❤️

  A story that’s everyone knows shrunken down so that even a small child could read it. It was fun x
• 
  Annisa Nur Widya

  Ditengah kesulitan, ada bantuin kecil yang menghasilkan hal besar yaitu elves. Gemes sama gambarnya yang bagus.
• 
  Tobi

  One of my favourite children's books from when I was a young 'un. I was always fascinated with the artwork.
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  Kerry Setterfield

  I loved this book as a child and bought it a while back in a fit of nostalgia. Decided to read it today and it is every bit as enchanting as it was back in the 70s.
• 
  Polly Stephens

  Classic tale of worker exploitation of minoritised communities while white people steal the profit and credit, predatory capitalism at its finest, mixed with dobby the elf logic.
• 
  Karissa Butikofer

  This is a story about a shoemaker and his wife. They were very poor and one day he had finally cut his last piece of leather to make shoes in the morning. This would be his last pair of shoes. The next morning he awoke and found a beautiful pair of shoes. He sold them and bought 2 pieces of leather for 2 pairs of shoes. Once again, he cut them and left them overnight. The same pattern happened over and over until one night the shoemaker and his wife decided to stay up and decide who was helping them. They discovered the elves and since they helped him and his wife become rich with shoes, they would help the elves and make them clothes. Christmas Eve night they left the clothes out instead of leather for shoes. They watched the elves open the gifts and find the clothes and shoes. They were so happy that they didn't have to make shoes anymore.
• 
  Elizabeth

  I loved this book when I was little. My little girl found it on the shelf at her grandmas today and we had it as a bedtime story which we both enjoyed. I remember loving this book and the pictures in it from when I was young :)
• 
  Theresa

  a good story to remind you to complement those who do things for you
  
• 
  Thana

  it was one of my favorite books when i was a little kid. i got the chance to read it to my nephew, and i enjoyed it as much as he did.
• 
  Jenks

  Excellent childhood classic