Pippi Longstocking

Astrid Lindgren's Pippi Longstocking is a gloriously silly story for 6 year olds about the strongest girl in the world, who lives entirely on her own.

What happens

Pippi is nine. She has carrot-coloured plaits that stick straight out, one brown stocking and one black, and shoes twice as long as her feet. She lives in Villa Villekulla with a monkey called Mr Nilsson, a horse on the porch and a suitcase full of gold coins.

Her mum died when she was a baby, and her dad was blown overboard in a storm. Pippi is quite sure he's now king of a cannibal island. So nobody tells her when to go to bed (she tells herself, in a nice friendly way first).

Tommy and Annika next door are very good, very tidy children. Then Pippi moves in, and nothing is ever dull again.

She beats pancake batter with a bath brush, and one egg lands on her head. She rolls out biscuit dough all over the kitchen floor. She plays tag across the roof with two policemen who've come to take her to a children's home, then carries them out of the garden by their belts.

When five boys gang up on little Willie, she hangs their leader over a tree branch. And her one day at school is brilliant. Asked what seven and five make, she tells the teacher that if she doesn't know, she needn't think Pippi's going to tell her!

It's the joy of a child who's completely in charge. Pippi tells whopping fibs with a straight face, then owns up cheerfully. She's kind underneath it all, too. She gives the teacher a gold watch and always sticks up for anyone smaller.

Just so you know, a few bits haven't aged well. Pippi's father is "king of the cannibals", and some of her tall tales poke fun at people from other countries. It could be worth a quick chat if your reader picks up on it. This edition also uses American words like candy and cookies.

If your reader has ever wished they could stay up as late as they liked and lift a horse over their head, Pippi will feel like a dream come true.

What to read next

For more of the same chaos, try Pippi Goes On Board. Pippi, Tommy and Annika are back together, and this time they're off shopping.