Reviews (31)

December#10
Pippi longstocking was one of the first chapter books I read as I had to read it for a Third grade class. I enjoyed the way she gets herself out of jams and helps show the neighbor kids a whole new way of life that they've never seen before. There is one thing that is stuck in my mind from that book and it is how everything is upside down in her house. I think that this should be every kids first chapter book because it is easy to read and it helps kids open their imagination. It showed me how to use mine and even though I didn't do the stuff Pippi did it still helped me open up my imagination and I hope it still helps kids.

One of the most engaging books written for boys and girls!
Pippi Longstocking is frequently one of the first chapter books read to children, and as a first grade teacher, I can attest to the value of its choice. Pippi is a larger than life character who does so many things that young children find absolutely wonderful and satisfying. * * * * * * * * * * * Pippi, an *orphan* with braids askew, lives all by herself at Villa Villekulla. Her only companions are her monkey and a horse (who lives on her porch).Children get to know Pippi through Annika and Tommy, *proper* children who live next door. Pippi looks at things as obliquely as her braids; she usually sees the positive side of things, unless she is requested to go to school or learn the multiplication tables. She has her own ideas about things, and simply cannot be made to follow the rules, but her way of disobeying is amusing and quite chathartic for children who ALWAYS have to follow the rules that adults make. She does not inspire kids to break the rules;she just makes them laugh with glee at her absurdity. She has *powers* that they adore!

Pip pip and tarry ho!
To my mind, Pippi Longstocking is perhaps the world's first child superhero. Able to lift strong policemen with her bare hands! Capable of climbing tall houses and trees with virtually no effort at all! Rescuing children from burning buildings and adults from snobby talk! If, like myself, you were a child of the 1980s then your first exposure to Miss Longstocking probably came in the form of that gawdawful movie circa 1988. Words alone cannot express the damage that film did to the youth of America. After watching it I avoided the book "Pippi Longstocking" like it was the plague itself. Only recently have I recanted and decided to read Astrid Lindgren's classic tale. As charming as it is outright bizarre I charge all of you to take the time to find and devour this little Swedish gem. Pippi's a pip, no question.

Working at wish fulfillment on about ten different levels, Pippi is the ultimate kid's kid. She lives all alone in a large fantastic house. Her mother died while she was but a babe and her father has been lost at sea. As optimistic regarding her father's return as Primrose Squarp in "Everything On a Waffle", Pippi fills her days with dancing, pancakes, and games. She owns a whole suitcase of gold coins, which allow her the freedom to live alone and untended. On top of that, she has her own monkey (the drolly named Mr. Nilsson) and horse. The neighbor children Annika and Tommy think (rightly so) that Pippi's a wonder. She never attends school or bothers with all the problems other children suffer. Instead, she has her own unique perspective on life and the people around her. Though precocious she's never mean, even when dealing with bullies or criminals.

The book, originally published in American in 1950, is a wonder. Though I'm certain other illustrators have done a fair job, I highly recommend that you seek out an edition illustrated by the talented Louis S. Glanzman. His Pippi is just as fabulous as you might hope her to be. I've always minded those Pippi's that seem a little too lanky or tough. This Pippi is just mischief incarnate. While you're out seeking an edition of this book illustrated by Glanzman, also make certain that the translation has been done by Florence Lamborn. There were some moments of trans-atlantic interpretation that just blew me away. For example, when confronted by evil bullies numerous in number, the biggest and meanest of them eyes Pippi and says, "boys, let Willie alone and take a look at this girl. What a babe!". Obviously that phrase must've meant something entirely different in 1950, but I was incredibly amused by it just the same. Other funny moments caught my eye. For one thing, Pippi and her friends are forever drinking coffee. Not given the "adult drink" status it has in the states, coffee is definitely the drink of choice of Swedish youth. And there was also the difficulty the translator had with verbal puns. Some of these had to be worked around by explaining what a word means in English. Without these explanations the book's jokes would fall flat.

Finally, my favorite chapter of the book. It was the chapter in which Pippi is invited to a fancy coffee party (see what I meant about kids and coffee?). Pippi attempts desperately to mix and mingle appropriately with the middle-aged lady guests there. When the women start putting down their hired help, Pippi is more than eager to tell multiple increasingly bizarre stories of her grandmother's servant Malin. The ways in which Pippi tells Milan tales becomes more and more extreme until at the end she screams towards the women from the other end of the block, "SHE NEVER SWEPT UNDER THE BEDS". I think you'll have to read the chapter yourself to see just how increasingly hilarious it becomes. It's fabulous stuff.

Every country has its resident red headed heroine. Canada has Anne of Green Gables. America has Caddie Woodlawn. Sweden has Pippi Longstocking. She's the greatest thing since sliced bread and twice as perky. For a fabulous romp through the increasingly ridiculous, I more than recommend this quirky spunky fan-freakin'-tastic book. It hasn't aged a jot.

PIPPI MY ALWAYS FRIEND
i`m 30 now.whenever the pressure of life or job or anything which may happen in adults lives keeps pressing on me i return to my pippi books. i live in those shiny pages,run with pippi, shout with pippi, dance with her and her lovely daddy and all darkness around me disappears.she takes me back to my innocence days in which watching an apple or playing with an ant was giving me the greatest joy of life.
in this way astrid and pippi are my always and sweet friends.
regards,
bess garner

You want to be Pippi? I AM PIPPI!
Pippi reinforced my innate belief that I could do anything I wanted to do and that it was OK to be a strong and brave girl. I grew up in Sweden but ended up fighting drugs and crime while providing housing in American public housing neighborhoods, still buttressed by that Pippi can-do/never-give-up spirit. I'm still lifting horses over my head and scaring the bad guys, all the while having the time of my life. Thank you Pippi and thank you Astrid Lindgren! ... Read more

Amazon.com

Pippi is an irrepressible, irreverent, and irrefutably delightful nine-year-old girl who lives alone (with a monkey) in her wacky house, Villa Villekulla. When she's not dancing with the burglars who were just trying to rob her house, she's attempting to learn the "pluttification" tables at school; fighting Adolf, the strongest man in the world at the circus; or playing tag with police officers. Pippi's high-spirited, good-natured hijinks cause as much trouble as fun, but a more generous child you won't find anywhere. Astrid Lindgren has created a unique and lovable carrot-topped character, inspiring generations of children to want to be Pippi. The first Pippi Longstocking was published in America in 1950, and this fine, newly illustrated collection includes Pippi Goes on Board and Pippi in the South Seas. Pippi makes reading pure pleasure. (Ages 7 to 10) ... Read more

Reviews (23)

Every child should read this book!
I grew up in a rural environment and each summer I waited for the weekly visits of our local bookmobile. I can't tell you how many times I checked out "Pippi Longstocking", but my mother worried that I would take root under the maple tree in our front yard, my favorite reading spot. I am now 47 years old and have recently finished Sena Jeter Naslund's "Ahab's Wife"--a brilliant companion to Melville's "Moby Dick"--and who should come to mind but my old friend Pippi.

My recommendation: Give this book to your children, especially to girls...let them grow up to be sailors, firefighters, dancers, mothers and fathers...whatever their souls dream of. We all need a little bit of Pippi these days.

The Chililug chugger is back...
Pippi Longstocking is a lot of things. She plays with sparklers, she plays with guns, she resists arrest, flaunts her supernatural power, manhandles bothersome adults, insults them and disregards them as silly. She's self-important, arrogant, callous, rude, undignified, and absolutely perfect.
Maybe the former LEADS to the latter, because I can't think of any other way she could be all of those things so perfectly. Pippi is the kind of character who, although she seems so terribly foolish, is somehow always right. Pippi is, in that respect, to elementary school children what Superman is to the people of metropolis. She so totally represents everything they hold dear that she can't help but become their champion, despite, or perhaps because of the fact that she's a universal "bad girl."
This book contains every one of her "popularly-recognized" adventures, with new illustrations by some fellow who's really good at drawing pictures of Pippi and her friends. The pictures are slick and cartoon-like in keeping with the sometimes-wacky-but-always-credible-somehow escapades of the girl wonder. Pippi owns an old, run-down villa and a horse and monkey. She keeps her horse on the porch, and her monkey on her shoulder when she goes for a walk. But the strangest thing in the house is Pippi herself, whose resources consist of a seemingly endless supply of gold, a vast collection of rare trinkets, and an endless supply of youthful energy and superhuman strength, probably equal to the task of lifting a small steamroller. She also possesses great durability and the seeming ability to leap great distances with enormous speed. Her skills in seemingly all tests of acrobatics and hand-eye coordination are top-knotch. In short, she was a self-insertion character before there was such a thing.
However, with Pippi, it works, because rather than pretend that she's up against some terrible foe or trying to add tension to the story, Pippi lives her life almost strictly for the humor and fun of it. Anything that keeps people from having fun is something Pippi will generally try to plow right through.
Pippi has the ultimate secret. She knows how to have fun, and if wisdom comes from the mouths of babes, than Pippi is indeed, faults and all, the wisest person who has ever lived.
As a closing note, I'm probably not the only person who hopes that Pippi's "Chililug" pills are real immortality medication, because that would mean that she is still around, and still having fun somewhere.

I had The Biggest Crush On Pippi Longstocking When I Eight
I always wanted a house that could fly. The Adventures Of Pippi Longstocking is a wonderful Story in every sense of the word.

My favorite icon
My mother read this story to me some 40 years ago. I remember the character vividly as if it was yesterday. It has become one of the all time favorites of children that I have had the pleasure to reading to over the years... Pippi was never afraid no matter what, looked for the best in everyone she meet (and got it) and had problems that she solved, often uniquely. All important lessons for children.

Pippi Longstocking
I think Pippi Longstocking is a very creative character. Pippi longstocking has a good imagination. Astrid Lindgren is a good writer, I think some of the author's just write to impress people but I think you actually care about what people think about your books. Your books are the best books I have ever read. I think your books are easy to read. My favorite book you have is Pippi Longstocking.With that funky house name. Think you for being a great writer. ... Read more

Book Description

Pippi always does things her own way. When she cleans her kitchen, she ties scrub brushes to her feet. When she has a picnic, she serves pancakes. One thing is for sure-there's never a dull moment when Pippi is around!

"Pippi Longstocking . . . has inspired generations of children with her spunk and power."
-Kirkus Reviews ... Read more

Reviews (7)

A delightful book for anyone young at heart!
This was one of my favorite books growing up, and I just reread it before sending a copy to a friend's daughter for Christmas. Pippi's irrepressible spirit and good-hearted hijinks will delight readers young and old, and remind you that you're only as old as you feel -- so feel young, arrange a question-and-answer bee and sail off to Kurrekurredutt Island in the South Seas with Pippi Longstocking! (The inhabitants of Kurrekurredutt Island are referred to as "Kurrekurredutts" in the original 1959 edition of the book, not as "cannibals" as one reviewer mentioned. And the only reference to skin color describes how Pippi and her friends tan in the South Seas sun, making no differences at all between them and their Kurrekurredutt playmates.) A delightful book to read again and again!

A Good Comedy Book
I give this book four stars because it was not the best and not the worst. If you like comedy this is the perfect book for you. Pippi is a girl who goes on a boat with Captain Longstockings. But look who is having fun,Pippi herself! I recommend this book to those who like comedy. It is my type because I love comedy. I liked the way Pippi jumps off ropes. Pippi is a very adventurous girl.

Pippi in the South Seas book review
I think that Pippi in the South Seas is a really good book.It is about Pippi who has two friends named Tommy and Annika. They have many adventures. This book is really great because its very interesting. The book is also humourous, has lots of details and descriptive words. I think that people will think that this book is a great book.

An exciting and neat book
A wonderful book. Pippi Longstocking likes old people alot and she tries to cheer them up. Then she discovers a new word and does not know the meaning of the word. Later she goes to the island of Kurrekurredutt and missed Christmas so nobody got presents. When she got home she hid some things for Tommy and Annieka. So when they got home well... you will just have to read it for your self.

The Best of Pippi!
This is my favorite Pippi Longstocking book because it takes Pippi from her home at Villa Villekulla into the exciting world of beaches, huts, cannibals, robbers, and pearls of the South Pacific! Over the years, some have complained that Mrs. Lindgren wrote the "cannibals" as being black, but believe me, she meant nothing by it. Her use of the word cannibal is only in a funny and exciting sense, not that they actually eat people. I can assure you that you won't find any part of the book offensive. ... Read more

Book Description

Who goes to the circus and rides on the back of a horse—and on the back of the ringmaster, too? Who walks the tightrope and does better tricks than any acrobat? And who dares to lift Adolf, the strongest man in the world? Why it's Pippi Longstocking, of course. No one's ever seen a circus like this before, because when Pippi goes to the show, she doesn't just watch, she takes over!The Pippi Longstocking storybooks, excerpted from the original novels with Astrid Lindgren's assistance, are perfect for young readers and listeners just getting ready to enter the amazing, crazy world of Pippi and her friends. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A really good Pippi book!
This is a really good Pippi Longstocking book! It's not so many girls that's strong as her... and not many boys either. In this book she and her friends goes to the circus, and Pippi really likes it. It's so funny when she shows the strong man that shes stronger than him... Almost every one loves Pippi, cause she's so charming and nice. And al the Pippi books can be read by both children and grown upps. I can really recomend this book. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Pippi Longstocking's long red braids are the very image of childhood rebellion. In Pippi Goes to School, our heroine's insurrectionary spirit is hardly dampened by her first taste of academe. Her friends Tommy and Annika head off bright and early at 8 a.m., "hand in hand, swinging their schoolbags." Pippi can't be bothered to get going until a little later: "At exactly ten o'clock she lifted her horse off the front porch, and a little later all the people in the town ran to their windows to see what horse it was that was running away." It's just Pippi headed for school in her own inimitable fashion. The teacher's vain attempts to teach her math and art and music fail miserably. When asked to add 7 and 5, she retorts, "If you don't know that yourself, you needn't think I'm going to tell you." It's not that Pippi's naughty, it's just that she has her own way of doing things. At the end of the day, it's she who's consoling the exhausted teacher: "You understand, Teacher, don't you, that when you have a mother who's an angel and father who's a cannibal king, and when you have sailed on the ocean all your whole life, then you don't know just how to behave in school." This slender paperback picture book is neatly adapted from the Astrid Lindgren classic Pippi Longstocking, with assistance from Lindgren herself. Michael Chesworth's lively, modernized illustrations make clever reference to the original edition, without being slavish. (Ages 4 to 8)--Claire Dederer ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Supper
This book is supper ! I love Pippi ! I have her Video and DVD. She is the smartest girl in the whole world ! When she got in shool she starts jumping on the desks ! Because she din't know what to do in shool. I really recomend it to buy this book.

Excellent!
This is a marvelous way to introduce young readers to the fabulous world of Pippi Longstocking! The illustrations are delightful and the stories are rollicking and full of fun!

okay
This book, I had thought when I bought it, had a good plot. Key word there? Thought! ... Read more

Book Description

Reviews (1)

Stunning illustrations!A must for Pippi and Astrid fans!
I bought this book only for the illustrations.In fact, I gave hardly any consideration to what the writing would be like, but both writing andillustrations were a treat.

First, I'll go to the illustrations becausethey are the most novel thing about this book.This is the first PippiLongstocking book every to be published in the US with the originalillustrations by the (obviously) talented Ingrid Vang Nyman.Her picturesare amazingly bright and cheery.Great amounts of reds and yellows, blues,and greens were used.It doesn't seem like there was a dull color on herpallate.The colors on the cover are pretty much the only colors usedthroughout the book and the result is breathtaking.Now, don't get mewrong.I'm not saying this is the Sistine Chapel or anything, but thepictures are so simple looking, clean cut, and almost "primitive" (that isn't really the proper word I'm looking for, but anyway...).I waspersistently amazed on Ingrid Nyman's attention to detail.Her scenesfocus on the main characters and there actions, but if you look around thescenes, the detail is wonderful!

Most of Astrid Lindgren's writing inthe book won't be new to her fans, but the way she changes it is verypleasing.It is just perfect for young readers.I know that this isminute point that most people probably won't notice, but I loved the wayAstrid Lindgren pulled the story from its original books into presenttense.I felt much more inside the story this way and this shows hermastery and skill at writing for children of all ages.

This ismust-have for Astrid Lindgren and Pippi Longstocking fans and perfect forthose kids whom you want to know Pippi.At the moment, there are two waysin book-form to introduce kids to Pippi, the "Pippi LongstockingStorybooks" from Viking Press and this book.Although the intentionsof Viking are admirable (indeed, the way they handled it is excellent), itdoesn't fit for the age bracket that this book targets.Now, you can startchildren off on this book, lead them to The Pippi Longstocking Storybooks,and they're well on their way to reading the three classics! ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Pippi Goes Away
Pippi has always had adventures with Tommy and Annika, like shipwrecks and shopping and finding a spink, but now, Pippi's father King Efraim has come back and ready for Pippi to come with him! Will Pippi have to say good by to Ville Villakulla? Finf out in Pippi Goes On Board!

The 2nd Great Unique Book
This book was a great novel, sequal to Pippi Longstocking, Pippi Goes On Board is an extremendous book. This book explained of Pippi and her friends venturing an island. If you live adventure stories, this is on book you do not want to miss! It's a very funny, adventerous, couraging, fun book! You will not be able to put the book down once you start reading it. This book is a favorite book of many childen in the United States. If you loved Pippi Longstocking, you'll love this great sequal. The beginning, middle, and end of the book are all great words! If you're kid doesn't like to read, or doesn't want to, sit down and read this book to them! They will enjoy this book more and more. Then they will want to start reading other books by Astrid Lindgren. Astrid Lindgren is a very good author. Read all of the favorite Pippi books. The author has done a great job! ... Read more

Book Description

Book Description

Christmas is over, but at Pippi Longstocking's house, the fun has just begun!A dance around the Christmas tree, a feast of hot chocolate and cream cake, and a sled ride down the roof of Villa Villekulla are only a few of the events planned for Pippi's after-Christmas party. There are new people to meet and old friends like Tommy, Annika, and Mr. Nilsson to see again. Come join the festivities at Pippi's."Sure to be a hit with Pippi's many fans as well as a nice introduction for the uninitiated." -- School Library Journal ... Read more

Reviews (1)

A Delightful Version of the World-Famous Pippi Longstocking!
This small book, Pippi Longstocking's After-Christmas Party was a joy to read. I reccommend it for small children as a Christmas treat or for those grown-up Pippi Longstocking fans who have been longing for another book about the famous redhead. ... Read more

Book Description

The tallest building in town is on fire--and two little boys are trapped at the top! The crowd in the square gasps in horror when they realize that the fire engine's ladder is too short to reach the frightened boys. As the fire blazes on, Pippi comes up with an ingenious plan and with the help of her monkey, Mr. Nilsson, she rescues the boys and brings them to safety. The Pippi Longstocking storybooks, excerpted from the original Pippi Longstocking books with Astrid Lindgren's assistance, are perfect for young readers and listeners just getting ready to enter the amazing, crazy world of Pippi and her friends. ... Read more