Beyond Pippi: The Legacy of Astrid Lindgren

AFP/Getty Images 1966

Astrid Lindgren's daughter Karin was sick in bed and asked her mother to tell her a story.

“Tell me about Pippi Longstocking”, she pleaded (making up a random name), and in that moment she had invented what was to become one of the world’s most popular children’s book characters.

“Since the name was remarkable, it had to be a remarkable girl”, said Astrid Lindgren. For years she was making up new stories for Karin and her friends.

Then one spring day, in March 1944, Astrid fell and sprained her ankle. To pass the time, while she was resting it, she put the Pippi stories down on paper. It was going to be a present for Karin’s 10th birthday in May.

That was the start of a great career.

Statue of Astrid Lindgren outside of Junibacken Museum in Stockholm

Astrid Lindgren [1907-2002] has been showered with countless honors and awards.  She is fondly remembered in Sweden, including Stockholm, where she lived as an adult and wrote her books. 

My tour guide's wife was happy to share some of her favorite titles with me when we were in Stockholm checking out Sweden's largest children's bookstore in the Junibacken Museum.

According to the museum website, the Junibacken story started with Astrid Lindren, and there is even a "Story Train" ride for kids through settings of her children's books.  She wrote the text, and her voice is heard narrating in Swedish.

When my children were young, we enjoyed Lindgren's picture books Christmas in the Stable and The Tomten, and we laughed at The Children in Noisy Village and my childhood favorite, Pippi Longstocking (find my post here). 

At the museum bookstore, my tour guide's wife recommended several books I was not familiar with by Astrid Lindgren -  The Brothers Lionheart, and the Emil in Lonneberga books.  They are on my shelf here at home now, waiting to be read and reviewed!

Astrid on reading:
“And we were sitting there on the floor, my brother and I, listening to her reading this wondrous story about ‘the giant Bam-Bam and Viribunda the fairy’. Well! That I didn’t die on the spot! In that instant a hunger to read was born in me, and with the impatience of a four year-old, I stared at those strange black squiggles which Edit could interpret, but I couldn’t. As if by some curious magic, the whole kitchen could suddenly be filled with fairies, giants and goblins.”

While touring Sweden, we drove through the area where Astrid Lindgren was born and grew up, and though I didn't get to visit her childhood home (the inspiration for many of her stories), we saw many quaint houses and barns painted "Swedish red" like hers!

Seriously, don't you just expect to see those children of Noisy Village running about!?

By the way, Pippi Longstocking is alive and well in Sweden - we saw lots of Pippi merchandise...

I think Astrid would be happy about that!

Please visit this informative website to see pictures of Astrid Lindgren's childhood home, and for an in-depth look at her life, books, and beloved characters: www.astridlindgren.se

A New Book (For Me), in Which I am Introduced to a Moomintroll

What do you get from an author who 1) was born into the Swedish speaking minority of Finland; 2) spent her summers in a family cottage on an island; 3) had a father who was a sculptor, and a mother who was a graphic designer; and 4) as a young woman became so sad during WWII that she wanted to write something innocent and hopeful?  Tove Jansson's  Moomins!

If you've been following my blog the past few weeks, you are aware that I recently returned from a tour of Scandinavia. Our tour guide's sweet wife (herself a lover of children's literature and especially Astrid Lindren - more about that later), made sure I got to make a quick stop at the largest children's bookstore in Sweden. 

The bookstore was in a museum called Junibacken, which is devoted to children's literature.

Junibacken Museum happened to have a Mumin (Swedish for "Moomin") Exhibit while we were there!  The exhibit consisted of a little themed playland with lots of fun settings from Tove Jansson's books...

Moominmamma's Kitchen

Well, truth be told, I had never read the Moomin books, but I had seen them listed on several "Best Children's Books" lists.  So I excitedly purchased my first one!

Moomintrolls.
Are they trolls, or what?
I'm not really sure...
As you can see, they are way cuter than the ugly Troll I came across at the Voss train station in Norway!

But Moomintrolls certainly seem to have stepped out of the world of Scandinavian folk-lore!

Finn Family Moomintroll is the third in the series, and the first one  ever translated into English.  I figured the English speaking world's introduction to the Moomin family was a good place for me to start!

Tove Jonsson's adorable illustrations really add to the stories.  They bring the reader along, and help us see the land and characters she has created.

(By the way, I adore the vintage book covers like the one above - see more here.  In my opinion, the new Puffin editions like mine, pictured at the top of this post, completely leave out the whimsical fairytale nature of the books.)

In Finn Family Moomintroll, the first bit of real magic happens after the Moomins have woken up from their long winter sleep and are enjoying a spring day mountain-top experience.  That's when they find a black top hat.

A Hobgoblin's Hat!  (Which they bring home.)

In the corner between the table and the kitchen door stood the Hobgoblin's Hat with the eggshell in the bottom.  And then something really strange happened.  The eggshell began to change its shape.
(This is what happens, you see.  If something lies long enough in the Hobgoblin's Hat it begins to change into something quite different - what that will be you never know beforehand.  It was lucky that the hat hadn't fitted Moomominpappa because the-Protector-of-all-Small-Beasts knows what would have become of him if he had worn it a bit longer.  As it was he only got a slight headache - and that was over after dinner.)
Meanwhile the eggshell had become soft and woolly, although it still stayed white, and after a time it filled the hat completely.  Then five small clouds broke away...

Moomintroll (Moomminpappa and Moominmamma's child) and the Snork Maiden (his friend) figure out how to fly the little clouds.  So they hop on, and away they go!  

They come across Hemulen (another Moomin), who collects stamps.

When they greet him, Hemulen says:
"That's extraordinary.  But I'm so used to your doing extraordinary things that nothing surprises me.  Besides I'm feeling melancholy just now...my stamp collection is complete"....

"I think I'm beginning to understand," said Moomintroll slowly.  "You aren't a collector anymore, you're only and owner, and that isn't nearly so much fun."

There are all sorts of whimsical (and some slightly scary) characters in Moominvalley, and they go through all sorts of non-sensical adventures.  

Think Edith Nesbit's "Psammead", from The Five Children and It, mixed with L. Frank Baum's The Marvelous Land of Oz, a little bit of of A.A. Milne's Winnie the Pooh and the Hundred Acre Wood thrown in, and you've got an idea of how fun these books are.

Have you read about the Moomins?  If you haven't, I think you and your child will really like these silly little creatures!

And please come back for more posts - I still have a Scandinavian Book Giveaway coming up! 

D is for Dalahäst!

In olden days a wooden Dala horse - "Dalahäst" - was a toy for children; in modern times it has become a symbol of Sweden itself.

Since these red hand painted horses have been part of Swedish folkart for over 300 years, a trip to Scandinavia would be incomplete without a visit to a workshop where the popular wooden horses are still made today.  Here's what I saw...

Before the 1920's and the invention of the bandsaw, Dala horses were completely made by hand. Today they are still hand carved and hand painted, after the horse pattern is stamped onto wooden blocks and cut out with the saw.

My grandson loves the little Dala horses I brought home to add to my small collection.  He set up a whole parade going across our kitchen table, and he was fascinated by the pictures I took at the workshop.

I decided to google "Swedish Dala horse" and found a video so my grandson could watch the whole process of how they are made.  

Go here to watch this excellent video all about the Dalahäst workshop I visited.

Which brings me to today's awesome Nordic alphabet picture book, D is for Dala Horse, written by Kathy-jo Wargin and illustrated beautifully by Renee Graef (she also illustrated the first American Girl Collection Kirsten books from Pleasant Company.)

Psst...I'll be giving away this Nordic alphabet book (and more)  soon, so stay tuned to my upcoming Scandinavian Literary Travel posts!

As my grandson and I read D is for Dala Horse together, we had fun going back and forth from the cute book illustrations and descriptions for each letter to my (very!) similar photos.  The author included many of the interesting things I saw, such as...

B is for...Bunad (a Norwegian way to dress)...

C is for...Copenhagen

D is for...Dala horse

F is for...Fjords

H is for...Hans Christian Anderson

O is for...Oslo

R is for...Runestones

T is for...Troll... 

V is for...Viking ship

I've got lots more to tell you about Scandinavia in my upcoming posts. You can find D is for Dala Horse here (or wait for my Scandinavian Giveaway!)  Remember, you're always welcome here on my Good Books For Young Souls Blog...come in and stay awhile!

Scandi Bound

Very soon I'll be making a trip of a lifetime to Scandinavia with my mom and three sisters, so I'll be away from my blog for awhile.  I'm taking my worn copies of Sigrid Undset's Kristin Lavransdatter Trilogy to read on the plane.

I can't wait to see the fjords and stave churches of Norway, see the traditional Scandinavian folk costumes, and taste the yummy smorgasbord foods and pastries in Sweden and Denmark (I've had a Danish preview in Solvang, CA)!

If I had a granddaughter, I'd be tempted to bring back a traditional Norwegian bridal crown like this one! (photo cred: Milk Magazine Dec 2010)  The little girl modeling it reminds me of Anja from The Christmas Wish!

My three and a half year old grandson Peter loves this book by Swedish author Elsa Beskow!  She is often called the "Beatrix Potter" of Scandinavia.  (Go here to read my past post about her books.)

I'll be back soon!  In the meantime, click here for my past posts about other favorite Scandinavian stories, including some by Astrid Lindgren and Ingri and Edgar Parin d'Aulaire.

St. Lucia Day Remembrances

Outside it was dark and chilly, as I watched my little daughter, Mary, bringing up the rear of the procession and swinging her basket, trying to keep up with all the other young girls following behind the "Lucia Bride".

My daughter was only two and a half, and I'll never forget that December night twenty-three years ago, as our church first attempted what has now become tradition: our Annual St. Lucia Procession.

Two-and-a-half year old Mary,
 in her little white dress and red sash.

By the time Mary was about seven or eight, American Girl Dolls and their books were becoming more and more popular, and my daughter loved all the stories.  Of course, her favorite was about Kirsten, the Swedish girl.  Mary could hardly wait to be St. Lucia and wear a crown, like her Kirsten doll.

And the day finally came. Mary was beaming, as she took her turn portraying St. Lucia, wearing the crown of candles and leading the procession of girls in white around the church, with the choir singing in the background; she was fourteen.

Happy St. Lucia Day! I hope you make it a family tradition to celebrate - I found a tutorial for a cute paper Lucia crown (here), and you can make some Lussekatter and read St. Lucia's story...

Do you have a daughter who is interested in knowing why girls wear white dresses with red sashes, balance a crown of candles on their heads, and carry a platter of saffron buns on December 13th? And who exactly was this saintly Italian girl named Lucia, whose story the Scandinavians adopted? 

Katherine Bolger Hyde has done a wonderful job explaining the customs and the history behind St. Lucia Day, in her beautiful book, Lucia Saint of Light, illustrated by Daria Fisher.

St. Lucia Day can't be celebrated properly without "Lussekatter" - Swedish Saffron Buns! (There's a recipe at the end of Katherine Hyde's book.)  My daughter always helped me make them, and her Kirsten Doll even came with a tiny tray of mini Lussekatter. Today I'll be baking a batch with my three little goddaughters for our Church celebration this weekend.

Click here to see all the variations - St. Lucia buns can be made
in different designs.  One year we made a Lucia braided bread crown.
[Source: Mylittlenorway.com]

Back to the picture book...it follows two parallel stories: of a modern-day girl named Lucy, and the 4th-Century saint named Lucia.  The tales are interwoven as Lucy prepares to celebrate her "nameday".  Her mother explains to her the origins of the story of St. Lucia, the background behind the traditions of her celebration, and her association with Sweden.  At the end of the book, you'll find the "Santa Lucia" song (with words and music), her icon, verses from her Feastday Aposticha, and a recipe for St. Lucia Buns.

Detailed illustrations from the book.

Where to find the book: Go here, to Ancient Faith Publishing.  Scroll down and you'll see that Lucia, Saint of Light is also now available as an engaging 10-minute video! ($4.99). You can also look on Amazon, if the book is sold out on AFP.

Click HERE for more information about how to order the book and very well done video. Below is a short clip...

This is a blog hop, click HERE
to read other fun posts...

Thanks for letting me share some of our family memories and traditions with you on this special day, honoring a special girl.  And thank you to Heather, at Audrey Eclectic, for hosting this fun "blog procession" for St. Lucia Day 2012.

HAPPY ST. LUCIA DAY!

Icon from the hand of Luke Dingman

December 13th commemorates St. Lucia Day for Roman Catholic, Orthodox, Anglican, and Lutheran Christians. (In England, she is called "St. Lucy".)

My daughter was not quite three years old when she participated in the first St. Lucia Procession we ever attempted at our church.  Now, 20 years later, she watches and sings with the adults as the young girls process down the aisle, following the oldest girl, who represents Lucia and is wearing a "crown" of candles.  I'm sure each girl, dressed in a white gown with red sash - symbolizing the saint's commitment to purity and her martyrdom - anticipates the year she will finally wear the traditional "Lucia Crown" (with battery-operated candles, as opposed to open flames!)

HER HISTORY
Lucia was a Christian, living in Sicily during the fourth century. Her parents had arranged for her to wed, against her will.  Lucia vowed to remain a virgin, instead of marrying a pagan, and gave her dowry to the poor.  Her fiancee denounced her and reported her to the authorities. Since Christianity was against the law at that time in the Roman Empire, Lucia was put to death.

HER CELEBRATION
During the Middle Ages, Swedes "adopted" this Italian saint. The name Lucia itself means "light", which the people of Sweden don't see a lot of during the winter. December 13th was the longest night of the year (Winter Solstice under the old Julian Calendar) so, in the darkness of Sweden, this holy-day also celebrated the fact that the days would begin to grow longer.

The traditional "St. Lucia Procession" originated in Sweden, and is practiced in homes, churches, and communities there.  In Norway, children bring the procession to nursing homes and hospitals, serving lussekatt buns to the elderly. Scandinavian immigrants have brought the celebration to the U.S. - look for Swedish Christmas Fairs and Lutheran churches in your community that might host processions during December (that's how I saw my first St. Lucia Procession!)

Take a minute or so to watch this beautiful traditional Swedish Lucia Procession...


PICTURE BOOKS ABOUT ST. LUCIA:

Lucia Saint of Light, by Katherine Bolger Hyde, illustrations by Daria Fisher (ages 6 and up).  Do you have a daughter who is interested in knowing why girls wear white dresses, balance a crown of candles on their heads, and carry a platter of saffron buns on St. Lucia Day?  Katherine Bolger Hyde does a wonderful job of explaining these customs, in this beautiful book with two parallel stories - about a modern-day girl named Lucy, and a 4th-Century Saint named Lucia.  The tales are interwoven as Lucy prepares to celebrate her "nameday" and her mother explains to her the origins of the story of St. Lucia and the background behind the traditions of her celebration and her association with Sweden.  At the end of the book, you'll find the "Santa Lucia" song (with words and music), her icon, verses from her Feastday Aposticha, and a recipe.

Lucia Morning in Sweden by Ewa Jydaker, illustrated by Carina Stalhberg. (ages 5-10)  A story about three children as they prepare for their St. Lucia Day celebration.  It includes the Lucia song, recipes for ginger snaps and saffron buns, a summary of the Lucia legend, and two patterns for the Lucia gowns.  (You'll have to search for this cute book, which is currently out of print.)

Lucia, Child of Light:  The History and Traditions of Sweden's Lucia Celebration, by Florence Ekstrand. (Also currently out of print, but probably available at your local library.)  This book introduced us to Saint Lucia when my daughter was young.  It traces the history of St. Lucia and includes a recipe and the Lucia song in both English and Swedish.  (ages 6 and up)

Kirsten's Surprise:  A Christmas Story, by Janet Beeler Shaw. (ages 9-12) From the AMERICAN GIRL series:  a short story about Kirsten Larson, a nine-year-old girl from Sweden, who has moved with her family to the Minnesota frontier in 1854. With Christmas approaching, Kirsten is excited about introducing her cousins to the Saint Lucia celebration. The day before Saint Lucia Day, Kirsten's father decides to go get the family's trunks out of storage (where Kirsten's dress is being stored) and Kirsten is just dying to go with him. However, as a Minnesota winter storm descends, she finds that her help is more needed then she could have imagined.