illustrated by Louis S. Glanzman |
Illustration by Nancy Seligohn |
Another series of books written by Astrid Lindgren is THE CHILDREN OF NOISY VILLAGE. Think of Laura Ingalls Wilder's LITTLE HOUSE books, only set in Sweden. Charming stories of a simpler time. These delightful tales include CHRISTMAS IN NOISY VILLAGE and HAPPY TIMES IN NOISY VILLAGE, with quaint illustrations by Ilon Wikland. There are three Swedish farm houses that make up "Noisy Village", named so because of how many children inhabit these homes!. The story is told in first person by 9 year-old Lisa about the mischievous adventures of the children. All the adventures are innocent and full of fun, and will be enjoyed by boys and girls alike.
A third set of books by Astrid Lindgren that I'd like to mention is THE TOMTEN and its companion story, THE TOMTEN AND THE FOX. These two gorgeously illustrated picture books were favorites of my youngest son. The setting is a quiet farmstead, deep in the forest: "Here is a lonely old farm, where everyone is sleeping. All but one..." a little dwarf-like creature (think of a gnome*) from Swedish folklore, called a "Tomten" who guards the farm. No one has ever seen him, but sometimes his little footprints are visible in the snow. He checks on all the barnyard animals and talks to them in Tomten language (a silent little language they can understand). He tiptoes to the house and peeks in on the sleeping children before going back to his cozy corner of the hayloft, where he dreams of the coming summer.
The second story is much the same with it's moonlit scenes - as the Tomten sees a fox, Reynard, who is prowling around the hen house. He shares his porridge with the hungry fox and the chickens are kept safe... for another night. The restful watercolor illustrations were done by Harald Wiberg.
The second story is much the same with it's moonlit scenes - as the Tomten sees a fox, Reynard, who is prowling around the hen house. He shares his porridge with the hungry fox and the chickens are kept safe... for another night. The restful watercolor illustrations were done by Harald Wiberg.
* THE GNOME CRAFT BOOK The Gnome Craft Book includes instructions for making Astrid Lindgren’s classic gnome, the Tomten.
"Childhood is not age, but a state of mind". Astrid Lindgren |
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