Pippi Longstocking

Titles:  Pippi Longstocking; Pippi Goes on Board; Pippi In the South Seas

Author:  Astrid Lindgren

Rating:  ***  (3 stars out of 3 possible, "A")
             Highly Recommended

Audience:  1st-3rd Grades

I want to briefly cover these childhood classics, just in case they've been overlooked by someone else, or criticized by modern pharisees.  Also to prove I really do have a sense of humor.

I'm reading these with my kids for the second time and they are randomly delightful.  Pippi is one of those kids we wish we all could be:  irreverent, creative, resourceful, a fast friend with super-human strength, and "rich as a troll."  Her hijinks with Tommy and Annika are adventures every child would wish for:  trips to town and the circus, an island campout, finding treasures in a hollow oak tree, flipping pancakes in an unsupervised kitchen, befuddling adults all over town.  Don't forget Pippi's front porch horse, or her monkey, Mr. Nilsson.

Fortunately, Tommy and Annika are committed students, and when Pippi occasionally visits the school house to learn a little "pluttification," someone always receives a lesson, although it might not be who you expected:

      "That is why we are here, " said the teacher, "to be good and kind to other people."
      Pippi stood on her head on the horse's back and waved her legs in the air.  "Heigh ho," said she, "then why are the other people here?"

For those concerned with Pippi's moral development, Tommy settles the issue:

     "It's not nice to lie,"  Annika said.  "Mommy says that."
     "Oh, how silly you are, Annika!"  said Tommy.  Pippi doesn't really lie.  She makes
      up things, don't you understand?"
      Pippi looked thoughtfully at Tommy.  "Sometimes you speak so wisely that I'm
      afraid you will become great," she said.

All children will recognize Pippi's outlandish story-telling as exactly that:  imagination in high gear.  Pippi herself admits to stretching the truth in her stories and occasionally works hard at reformation--about as hard as she works at pluttification.

For those concerned that Pippi might be a poor influence, not to worry.  Annika and Tommy have sensible parents and are almost always home in time for dinner and a reasonable bedtime.  They understand, as will your savvy children, there is only one Pippilotta Delicatessa Windowshade Mackrelmint Efraim's Daughter Longstocking.  There are plenty of lessons to learn in these "good, clean fun" books, including not taking ourselves too seriously!