Book Review: Pippi Longstocking
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What Parents Should Know
Parents need to know that Pippi, a child living alone (her
mother is dead and her father disappeared at sea), not going to
school, and often behaving rudely, is not the best role model,
but she is generous and means well.
Families can talk about Pippi's behavior. Why does she behave
the way she does? Does she really not know better, or is she
just rude and willful? How do you think you would act if you
lived all alone? What parts of this seem realistic, and what
parts are just fantasy?
For nearly 60 years this story has been a favorite with children even as it has sometimes been controversial for adults. It's easy to see both sides. Children love it because of its heroine, a child completely freed from, subversive of, and stronger than, adult authority. Some adults are suspicious of it for the very same qualities. Less a novel than a series of vignettes connected only by common characters, it has a silly, but very childlike, sense of humor, is easy to read, and doesn't demand much of the reader beyond a suspension of disbelief -- so it's popular with young readers making the transition to chapter books.
This new, large-format edition boasts a seamless new translation (the original was written in Swedish) that modernizes the language a bit, but not too much. It also has new illustrations that are humorous, if a bit on the abstract side. Its size and large print make it well suited to reading aloud with a child following along in the text, and perhaps taking a turn with the reading. Though it may not have the same appeal to today's kids that it had for earlier generations, if you're looking to introduce your kids to a favorite from your own childhood, this is a good way to do it.
For nearly 60 years this story has been a favorite with children even as it has sometimes been controversial for adults. It's easy to see both sides. Children love it because of its heroine, a child completely freed from, subversive of, and stronger than, adult authority. Some adults are suspicious of it for the very same qualities. Less a novel than a series of vignettes connected only by common characters, it has a silly, but very childlike, sense of humor, is easy to read, and doesn't demand much of the reader beyond a suspension of disbelief -- so it's popular with young readers making the transition to chapter books.
This new, large-format edition boasts a seamless new translation (the original was written in Swedish) that modernizes the language a bit, but not too much. It also has new illustrations that are humorous, if a bit on the abstract side. Its size and large print make it well suited to reading aloud with a child following along in the text, and perhaps taking a turn with the reading. Though it may not have the same appeal to today's kids that it had for earlier generations, if you're looking to introduce your kids to a favorite from your own childhood, this is a good way to do it.
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