Travel the World: Sweden: Pippi Longstocking

Lindgren, Astrid. 2007*. Pippi Longstocking. Translated by Tiina Nunnally. Illustrated by Lauren Child.

Pippi Longstocking is a book that my mother read as a child. But a book that I never encountered until just recently. I couldn't wait to read this newly translated and newly illustrated edition of the book.

Here is the reader's first introduction to Pippi:

On the outskirts of a tiny little town was a neglected garden. In the garden stood an old house, and in that house lived Pippi Longstocking. She ws nine years old, and she lived there all alone. She had no mother or father, which was actually quite nice, because it meant that no one could tell her that she had to go to bed just when she was having the most fun. And no one could make her take cod liver oil when she would rather eat candy. (7)

But Pippi isn't all alone in the world. No, she lives with a monkey, Mr. Nilsson, and a horse which she keeps on her porch. Her two bestest friends are her neighbors Tommy and Annika. (These two kids live with their parents of course.) Pippi's free spiritedness is juxtaposed with the more traditional rule-bound lives of her two closest friends.

There are many many ways that Pippi bends all the rules, stretches the reader's imagination to the limits. But Pippi is not meant to be believable. She is a fibber--a self-proclaimed storyteller. Pippi can and will do anything she sets out to do. No matter how unrealistic.

Pippi Longstocking is quite a character. Very charming. Very funny. Very unique. Definitely a one-of-a-kind heroine.

Here is her exchange with a police officer who's worried about her:

"Yes, but don't you realize that you have to go to school?" said the policeman.
"Why do I have to go to school?"
"To learn things, of course."
"What sort of things?" asked Pippi.
"All kinds of things," said the officer. "Lots of useful things, like the multiplication tables, for instance."
"I've been fine for nine years without any pluttification tables," said Pippi. "And I'm sure I can manage in the future, too."
"Yes, but think how sad it will be for you to be so ignorant. What about when you grow up and someone happens to ask you what the capital of Portugal is and you can't answer?"
"Of course I can answer," said Pippi. "I'll just answer like this: If you're so desperately anxious to know what the capital of Portugal is, then by all means write a letter to Portugal and ask them!"
"But don't you think you'd feel silly that you couldn't answer the question yourself?"
"That's possible. Occasionally I might lie awake at night and wonder over and over: What on earth is the capital of Portugal? But you can't expect that things will always be fun," said Pippi, as she went into a handstand and stayed there for a moment. "Besides, I've been to Lisbon with my pappa," she went on as she stood upside down, because that didn't stop her from talking. (45-46)

Eventually the reader does see Pippi go to school--for one brief day. (Much to the teacher's relief!) Pippi has many adventures within the book. And each has its charm.

What I will most remember Pippi for is her fibs. Her fabricated storytelling that is amazingly entertaining.

"Give me the schools in Argentina any time," said Pippi, sounding a bit haughty as she looked down at the children. "You should try going there. Easter vacation starts only three days after Christmas vacation ends, and when Easter vacation is over, there are three days until summer vacation starts. Summer vacation ends on the first of November, and then, of course, it's quite a while before Christmas vacation starts on November eleventh. But it's bearable because at least there's no homework. It's strictly forbidden to do homework in Argentina. Sometimes an Argentinean boy might sneak into a cupboard and sit there and secretly do homework, but I feel sorry for him if his mother finds out. They don't have any arithmetic in the schools there. If anyone knows how much seven plus five is, and if he's silly enough to mention it to the teacher, he has to stand in the corner all day long. Reading is something they do only on Fridays, and then only if they have some books to read. But they never do."
"Well, what do they do at school then?" asked a little boy.
"They eat candy," said Pippi firmly. "There's a long pipe that goes from the nearby candy factory straight to the classroom, and candy comes gushing out all day long, so the kids can hardly keep up with eating it."
"But what does the teacher do?" asked a girl.
"She unwraps the candy for the children, silly," said Pippi. "You don't really think they do that themselves, do you? Hardly! And they don't actually go to school themselves either. They send their brothers."
Pippi swung her big hat.
"Bye now, kids, she shouted happily. "You won't be seeing me for a while, but don't ever forget how many apples Axel had or you'll be sorry. Ha ha ha!" (69-71)

You can easily see why Pippi might be a distraction in the classroom!

*Pippi Longstocking was published in Sweden in 1945. It was first translated into English and published in the U.S.A. in 1950. But this edition of Pippi Longstocking was newly translated in 2007.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Island of the Blue Dolphins

O'Dell, Scott. 1960. Island of the Blue Dolphins.

If as a child I read Island of the Blue Dolphins, I must have blocked it from my memory. And there's a good reason for that: 1 dead father +1 dead brother +1 dead dog + countless years spent alone on an island trying to survive the elements and cope with the loneliness = 1 book I'd just as soon live without. Sometimes I try to fool myself into thinking that I'm all introspective, that I am happy with my alone time. It doesn't work for long. I need people. Not 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. But given enough "alone" time, I start to go crazy.

Island of the Blue Dolphins is about a girl, Karana, and her slightly unusual coming-of-age story. It is based on a true story. Which *should* logically make the dead father, the dead brother, the dead dog, etc. easier to accept because it is so authentic. The author's note says, "The girl Robinson Crusoe whose story I have attempted to re-create actually lived alone upon this island from 1835 to 1853, and is known to history as The Lost Woman of San Nicolas." I cannot imagine, can't fathom, the emotional, mental, and physical strain of such loneliness. To not only have to have the strength and courage and common sense to survive day after day and season after season and year after year, but to have to live with everything psychologically speaking.

The novel begins with the arrival of the Aleuts. Karana's tribe welcome halfheartedly these strangers onto their shores. These hunters are here to kill sea otters. They agree to pay for this privilege; however, there is some distrust. Her family, her community, are unsure about the trustworthiness of these men, these strangers. But what can they do? If they don't allow them to hunt, won't that be challenging them and provoking a war? If they do allow them to hunt, and they don't get what has been promised, that is a challenge or threat of war as well. But there is a small chance that they might actually be honorable. I don't know if there is a right or wrong way to go about it. What is, is.

As you might have guessed, these men are not honorable. And the community is practically slaughtered. By the time these strangers leave, the tribe is down to fifteen men--most of them old men or young boys. There are only a handful of men physically and mentally capable of leadership. Karana's father, the chief, is one of the men that died. She does witness it--from a distance I believe.

The people then decide, over the next few years or seasons, that the island has too many bad memories. That they should try to move to another island. One man goes off in search of a new home, and he later sends a ship back for the rest of the tribe.

The problem? Karana's brother misses the boat. He went back home to get his spear despite Karana having told him NOT to go because there wasn't enough time. She's safely on the boat, but her brother isn't. As they're leaving, she realizes that he is not there. She even, I believe, sees him on the shore. She jumps into the sea and swims home. The tragedy of it all? Within a few days--maybe even that same day--her brother is dead--mauled by a pack of wild dogs. So her brave attempt to be a good big sister is all in vain. Now she's alone, alone, alone.

Perhaps some people love the Robinson Crusoe of it all. I'm not one of them. I didn't like Robinson Crusoe in school--hated it in fact. And this doesn't really read like Swiss Family Robinson. For one thing, it's realistic. But another thing, it's the story of one person's isolation. Maybe the book doesn't focus on the alone-ness of it. But as a reader, it was something I couldn't escape. How do you keep your sanity when you are all alone for years and years?

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She is eventually rescued. But she is never reunited with her community, her tribe. What is perhaps sadder is that she could only communicate with others in signs. No one understood her language, and she couldn't understand other languages. So even supposedly-rescued, she remains isolated in a way. I can't imagine being unable to communicate fully and freely. To be alone in your own little world. There is something so troubling about this whole mess. People need to be heard, be understood. They need to connect.

I think there are many many people who love this book. I don't know that I can grasp the why of that love. But it's there just the same. I am not one of them. This book has a haunting sadness, a heartbreaking melancholy that I just DON'T want to experience again.

© Becky Laney of Becky's Book Reviews

Hans Christian Andersen Award Reading Challenge

Read books by authors and/or illustrators that have won a Hans Christian Andersen Award. See the list of winners below. This challenge has its own blog. Reviews will be submitted via Mr. Linky.

How many books? 4-8 is what I'd recommend as a "challenge" goal. More is welcome. Always. But if you can only squeeze three in...well, I won't turn you away. If you think you might be pressed for time, you might have two authors and two illustrators as your goal. The illustrated books will almost by necessity be shorter--picture books for example--although that isn't always the case. If you want to read four picture books, that's fine by me.

The time frame of the challenge: May 1, 2008 through May 1, 2009. A full year of reading. The 2009 makes this one so-not-intimidating, right?

Exception: If you've read a qualifying book after January 1, 2008. Then you may count it towards the challenge. (A meaning one or two at the very most.)

No list is necessary. But if you want to make one, I won't stop you. If you do make one, share the link (or the list) in the comments. Once you've made one--if you've made one--feel free to change it at any time.

No blog is needed to participate.

Audio books are okay.

Overlaps with other challenges are fine.

To sign up leave a comment here. Follow the link, please: http://hanschallenge.blogspot.com/