Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren and Tony Ross
| Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren and Tony Ross | |
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| Category: Confident Readers | |
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Reviewer: Sue Magee
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| Summary: One of the few books which I'm adamant every child should read. You don't need to know more than that you should buy it. Highly recommended. | |
| Buy? Yes | Borrow? Yes |
| Pages: 144 | Date: April 2012 |
| Publisher: OUP | |
| ISBN: 978-0192733061 | |
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Pippi Longstocking lives the life of every girl's dream. Her mother is dead and her father was blown off his ship. Pippi believes that he's away being the King of the Cannibals (and that she's therefore a Princess of the Cannibals) and in the meantime she lives on her own - well except for a horse, a monkey and a suitcase full of gold - and with NO grown-ups to tell her what to do. Well, a few do try, but Pippi always gives them short shrift and gets on with living her life the way that she wants to live it.
Pippi Longstocking is one of the few books which I'd say that every child should read. It's gloriously anarchic, with Pippi being strong enough to lift a horse (well, he does get in the way sometimes) and doesn't go to school because she managed for nine years without knowing her pluttification tables and sees no reason to change the situation now. She frequently gets into trouble (well, that's not quite how she sees it, you understand) but she's never hurtful and she's the best friend there could be to her neighbours Tommy and Annika.
Pippi was first published in 1945 and you might expect it to be a little dated by now, but it's still fresh as a daisy. There are no cultural references which could tie it to a particular period of time and the stories go to the heart of what children love - freedom to be themselves and adventure. Boys are going to love the stories too as Pippi is never a girly girl. In fact she frequently beats the boys at their own game.
We've reviewed another edition of Pippi Longstocking which had illustrations by Lauren Child. This book has illustrations by the incomparable Tony Ross. He captures Pippi perfectly - have a look at the front cover and you'll see the dress she made herself, despite not quite having enough material and most importantly the nose which is rather like a potato and the large mouth. Each chapter begins with one of Tony's illustrations and they're a delight.
If you haven't got a child for whom you can buy a copy of Pippi Longstocking, go find one. You haven't been looking hard enough. I'd certainly like to thank the publishers for my copy. Unlike my fellow reviewer I'm going to pass my copy on to a school where lots of children can read the book - and then go home and badger their parents to buy them their own copy.
For more anarchic fun try Esio Trot by Roald Dahl or for another book which has stood the test of time, how about Tom's Midnight Garden by Philippa Pearce?
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You can read more book reviews or buy Pippi Longstocking by Astrid Lindgren and Tony Ross at Amazon.co.uk Amazon currently charges £2.99 for standard delivery for orders under £20, over which delivery is free.
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