Author: Astrid Lindgren
Original Title: Pippi Långstrump i Söderhavet
Genre: Children's book
Original publisher: Rabén and Sjögren
Date first published: 1948
Date first read: 1993
Main character(s): Pippi, Annika, Thomas, Herr Nielsson (Mr. Nielsson), Kleiner Onkel (Little Uncle)
Favorite quote: N/A
Synopsis:
Pippi finally follows her father and goes to his island kingdom, Taka-Tuka, but together with Annika and Thomas. They along with the children on the island have many an adventure. Of course, there are a couple pirates and a shark to try to mess things up for them, but that doesn't stop Pippi.
Review:
This is the third full-length Pippi book. It sets Pippi in a new environment, but her funny adventures are still a great read.
Prequels: Kennst Du Pippi Langstrumpf?; Pippi Langstrumpf geht an Bord
Thursday, March 17, 2011
Pippi Langstrumpf geht an Bord (Pippi Longstocking Goes On Board)
Author: Astrid Lindgren
Original Title: Pippi Långstrump går ombord
Genre: Children's book
Original publisher: Rabén and Sjögren
Date first published: 1946
Date first read: 1993
Main character(s): Pippi, Annika, Thomas, Herr Nielsson (Mr. Nielsson), Kleiner Onkel (Little Uncle)
Favorite quote: N/A
Synopsis:
Pippi's father, Captain Ephraim Longstocking has returned, and Pippi decides to go with him on his ship and to a southern island, where he has become a king. However, that would mean that she'd have to leave her friends Annika and Thomas, who are naturally saddened by the thought of losing Pippi.
Review:
This was actually my first Pippi book, if I remember correctly. I was a little weirded out that Pippi would have a monkey and a horse in her house, but I came to like her oddities very quickly. As with the first Pippi book, this is a classic and should be read by all kids. It's fun, it's silly, and a really great read.
Prequels: Kennst Du Pippi Langstrumpf?
Sequels: Pippi Langstrumpf im Taka-Tuka-Land
Original Title: Pippi Långstrump går ombord
Genre: Children's book
Original publisher: Rabén and Sjögren
Date first published: 1946
Date first read: 1993
Main character(s): Pippi, Annika, Thomas, Herr Nielsson (Mr. Nielsson), Kleiner Onkel (Little Uncle)
Favorite quote: N/A
Synopsis:
Pippi's father, Captain Ephraim Longstocking has returned, and Pippi decides to go with him on his ship and to a southern island, where he has become a king. However, that would mean that she'd have to leave her friends Annika and Thomas, who are naturally saddened by the thought of losing Pippi.
Review:
This was actually my first Pippi book, if I remember correctly. I was a little weirded out that Pippi would have a monkey and a horse in her house, but I came to like her oddities very quickly. As with the first Pippi book, this is a classic and should be read by all kids. It's fun, it's silly, and a really great read.
Prequels: Kennst Du Pippi Langstrumpf?
Sequels: Pippi Langstrumpf im Taka-Tuka-Land
Kennst du Pippi Langstrumpf? (Do You Know Pippi Longstocking?)
Author: Astrid Lindgren
Original Title: Pippi Långstrump
Genre: Children's book
Original publisher: Rabén and Sjögren
Date first published: 1945
Date first read: 1993
Main character(s): Pippi, Annika, Thomas, Herr Nielsson (Mr. Nielsson), Kleiner Onkel (Little Uncle)
Favorite quote: N/A
Synopsis:
Pippi, whose full name is Pippilotta Delicatessa Windowshade Mackrelmint Ephraim's Daughter Longstocking, is a 9-year old girl who lives with her monkey Herr Nielsson and her horse Kleiner Onkel. She lives in her home, Villa Kunterbunt (Villa Manycolors), which is next doors to the home of her neighbors, Annika and Thomas.
Though she ha no formal education - she does try to go to school with Annika and Thomas once, but it doesn't work out too well - she is extremely smart and has a strong sense of fairness. She also has superhuman strength, being able to lift her horse.
Above everything, she values her friendship with Annika and Thomas. Together with Thomas and Annika, Pippi has many an adventure inside and outside of her home. She also regales them with stories of adventures she'd had with her father who's the captain of his ship but is currently lost at sea.
Review:
Pippi is a classic among children's literature. I loved reading this book - I could re-read it a million of times. It was a fun read. All the silly little adventures the kids have, laughing about them, wondering how Thomas and Annika's mother will try to reform her again.
Nowadays, I also appreciate some other issues in the stories on which I couldn't really put my finger as a kid. For starters, I like how the odd character (Pippi) is the fun one, how kids are more capable than the adults think, and how friendship is one of the most important things. I also love this book because it has all the ingredients for a running imagination - perfect for children.
Sequels: Pippi Langstrumpf geht an Bord; Pippi Langstrumpf im Taka-Tuka-Land
Original Title: Pippi Långstrump
Genre: Children's book
Original publisher: Rabén and Sjögren
Date first published: 1945
Date first read: 1993
Main character(s): Pippi, Annika, Thomas, Herr Nielsson (Mr. Nielsson), Kleiner Onkel (Little Uncle)
Favorite quote: N/A
Synopsis:
Pippi, whose full name is Pippilotta Delicatessa Windowshade Mackrelmint Ephraim's Daughter Longstocking, is a 9-year old girl who lives with her monkey Herr Nielsson and her horse Kleiner Onkel. She lives in her home, Villa Kunterbunt (Villa Manycolors), which is next doors to the home of her neighbors, Annika and Thomas.
Though she ha no formal education - she does try to go to school with Annika and Thomas once, but it doesn't work out too well - she is extremely smart and has a strong sense of fairness. She also has superhuman strength, being able to lift her horse.
Above everything, she values her friendship with Annika and Thomas. Together with Thomas and Annika, Pippi has many an adventure inside and outside of her home. She also regales them with stories of adventures she'd had with her father who's the captain of his ship but is currently lost at sea.
Review:
Pippi is a classic among children's literature. I loved reading this book - I could re-read it a million of times. It was a fun read. All the silly little adventures the kids have, laughing about them, wondering how Thomas and Annika's mother will try to reform her again.
Nowadays, I also appreciate some other issues in the stories on which I couldn't really put my finger as a kid. For starters, I like how the odd character (Pippi) is the fun one, how kids are more capable than the adults think, and how friendship is one of the most important things. I also love this book because it has all the ingredients for a running imagination - perfect for children.
Sequels: Pippi Langstrumpf geht an Bord; Pippi Langstrumpf im Taka-Tuka-Land
Monday, March 14, 2011
Grime Bajke (Grimm's Fairy Tales)
Author: Gebrüder Grimm (Jacob and Wilhelm Grimm)
Original Title: Kinder- und Hausmärchen
Genre: Children’s book
Original publisher: Reimer Verlag
Date first published: 1812 (Part 1); 1815 (Part 2)
Date first read: ca. May 1992
Main character(s): multiple
Favorite quote: N/A
Synopsis:
The collection of the fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm includes some of the most famous stories (and Disney movies) ever told: Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, Red Riding Hood, and Snow White.
It also has some stories that not all people know, like The Twelve Princesses, The Story of the Boy Who Went Forth to Learn Fear, The Three Little Men in the Woods, and many more. The brothers actually did not write the stories but collected the stories that were passed down verbally for generations into a written format for the first time.
Review:
Do I love the Grimms' fairy tales? Absolutely! To this day, I enjoy these fairy tales, especially in their original grim(m) form and language. (Grim(m)? Get it, get it? Ok, ok, lame pun.) Mind you, I am quite guilty of ridiculously enjoying the Disney cartoon versions of these, too.
The book in which I read these was a collection of some of the most famous ones, as well as the others, less famous ones. I remember this was the first time I read The Twelve Princesses, the original Frog King, or Iron Henry, and The Goose Girl. It was one of the last books I read before leaving what used to be Yugoslavia. I wish I could find it, but I have turned my aunt's place upside down the last time I was there, and nothing. I think I have to resign myself to it being lost / given away.
P.S. Yes, there are several titles in here with the name "Bajke." That means fairy tales in my language, and yes, most fairy tale books were titled just thus, with no info on the author until you got to the index page.
Original Title: Kinder- und Hausmärchen
Genre: Children’s book
Original publisher: Reimer Verlag
Date first published: 1812 (Part 1); 1815 (Part 2)
Date first read: ca. May 1992
Main character(s): multiple
Favorite quote: N/A
Synopsis:
The collection of the fairy tales by the Brothers Grimm includes some of the most famous stories (and Disney movies) ever told: Cinderella, Hansel and Gretel, Rapunzel, Sleeping Beauty, Red Riding Hood, and Snow White.
It also has some stories that not all people know, like The Twelve Princesses, The Story of the Boy Who Went Forth to Learn Fear, The Three Little Men in the Woods, and many more. The brothers actually did not write the stories but collected the stories that were passed down verbally for generations into a written format for the first time.
Review:
Do I love the Grimms' fairy tales? Absolutely! To this day, I enjoy these fairy tales, especially in their original grim(m) form and language. (Grim(m)? Get it, get it? Ok, ok, lame pun.) Mind you, I am quite guilty of ridiculously enjoying the Disney cartoon versions of these, too.
The book in which I read these was a collection of some of the most famous ones, as well as the others, less famous ones. I remember this was the first time I read The Twelve Princesses, the original Frog King, or Iron Henry, and The Goose Girl. It was one of the last books I read before leaving what used to be Yugoslavia. I wish I could find it, but I have turned my aunt's place upside down the last time I was there, and nothing. I think I have to resign myself to it being lost / given away.
P.S. Yes, there are several titles in here with the name "Bajke." That means fairy tales in my language, and yes, most fairy tale books were titled just thus, with no info on the author until you got to the index page.
Bajke (Fairy Tales)
Author: Oscar Wilde
Original Title: The Happy Prince and Other Tales
Genre: Children's book
Original publisher: unknown
Date first published: May 1888
Date first read: ca. May 1992
Main character(s): multiple
Favorite quote: N/A
Synopsis: *SPOILER-ISH*
This book contains several stories. Among them are The Happy Prince, a story about a finely crafted and decorated statute of a prince who was always happy in life (as sadness was not allowed around him). However, the little prince's statute, which stood tall enough to oversee the entire city, had turned sad upon seeing all the misery in his city as a statute. With the help of a little bird, the statute decides to make the lives of some of the most miserable citizens of the city happy.
The other stories include The Nightingale and the Rose, in which a nightingale sacrifices her life to make a poor student happy; The Selfish Giant, a story in which a giant first refuses to let children play in his garden, but later sees the error of his ways; The Devoted Friend, the sad story of a good friend and a bad friend ; and The Remarkable Rocket, about a very arrogant firework rocket.
Review:
This was book two of the books that I forced my poor mom to buy me in 1992 when we were in Belgrade. I remember very little about it, though I do remember a bit about the titular story. I remember liking these stories fairly enough. I had no clue who Oscar Wilde was, or else I may have paid more attention to what I was reading.
Oh, and the book was in Cyrillic script, which I read just as fast as the Latin one back then. Ah, to be young again...
Original Title: The Happy Prince and Other Tales
Genre: Children's book
Original publisher: unknown
Date first published: May 1888
Date first read: ca. May 1992
Main character(s): multiple
Favorite quote: N/A
Synopsis: *SPOILER-ISH*
This book contains several stories. Among them are The Happy Prince, a story about a finely crafted and decorated statute of a prince who was always happy in life (as sadness was not allowed around him). However, the little prince's statute, which stood tall enough to oversee the entire city, had turned sad upon seeing all the misery in his city as a statute. With the help of a little bird, the statute decides to make the lives of some of the most miserable citizens of the city happy.
The other stories include The Nightingale and the Rose, in which a nightingale sacrifices her life to make a poor student happy; The Selfish Giant, a story in which a giant first refuses to let children play in his garden, but later sees the error of his ways; The Devoted Friend, the sad story of a good friend and a bad friend ; and The Remarkable Rocket, about a very arrogant firework rocket.
Review:
This was book two of the books that I forced my poor mom to buy me in 1992 when we were in Belgrade. I remember very little about it, though I do remember a bit about the titular story. I remember liking these stories fairly enough. I had no clue who Oscar Wilde was, or else I may have paid more attention to what I was reading.
Oh, and the book was in Cyrillic script, which I read just as fast as the Latin one back then. Ah, to be young again...
Kratke Price (Short Stories)
Author: Anton Pavlovich Chekhov
Original Title: N/A
Genre: Satire, Short stories
Original publisher: unknown
Date first published: unknown
Date first read: Ca. 1991
Main character(s): multiple
Favorite quote: N/A
Synopsis:
N/A
Review:
At first I wasn't sure whether to list this one, as I cannot recall what stories were in the little book I found at my aunt's house. However, I have always been good with remembering things I'd seen previously, and I know I have seen this book previously, before the war....and if I've seen it, I've read it. And the thing is, I am definitely familiar with some Chekhov stories (Death of a Government Clerk comes to mind) - I remember reading them, and it was several of them. I also recall that some of them had this very dark humor to them (again, Death of a Government Clerk is a good example). So, my guess is that this knowledge comes from reading this book.
For a comprehensive list of all Chekhov short stories, check out Wikipedia.
Original Title: N/A
Genre: Satire, Short stories
Original publisher: unknown
Date first published: unknown
Date first read: Ca. 1991
Main character(s): multiple
Favorite quote: N/A
Synopsis:
N/A
Review:
At first I wasn't sure whether to list this one, as I cannot recall what stories were in the little book I found at my aunt's house. However, I have always been good with remembering things I'd seen previously, and I know I have seen this book previously, before the war....and if I've seen it, I've read it. And the thing is, I am definitely familiar with some Chekhov stories (Death of a Government Clerk comes to mind) - I remember reading them, and it was several of them. I also recall that some of them had this very dark humor to them (again, Death of a Government Clerk is a good example). So, my guess is that this knowledge comes from reading this book.
For a comprehensive list of all Chekhov short stories, check out Wikipedia.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
Pesme za decu (Children's Poems)
Author: Jovan Jovanovic Zmaj
Original Title: Pesme za decu
Genre: Poetry, Children's book
Original publisher: unknown
Date first published: multiple
Date first read: Around age 4 or 5
Main character(s): multiple
Favorite quote: N/A
Synopsis:
This is a collection of famous poems by children's author Jovan Jovanovic, called Zmaj (dragon in English). The poems vary in subject but are some of the widely known poems in the countries formerly composing Yugoslavia.
Review:
I cannot recall the details of these poems, but I know I have read them. The book is still in the family - it's a small, thin volume, obviously worn out by time, but still very legible. It's cover is green and has a little girl's face as well as some flowers on the cover.
When I recently visited my aunt (who has the book, probably without knowing), I found it in the storage room shelves and picked it up. I didn't get a chance to read the poems again, but when I looked at the book and flipped through the book, looking at some of them, I was struck by a memory of when I did first read it. I remember zipping through the poems, and being amazed that some of them were already known to me, my mom and grandma having recited and sung some of them to me (like Tasi, Tasi, Tanana). Others were new to me.
I'm pretty sure my aunt will be reading these to her granddaughter at some point, though I hope the book lasts long enough for me to read them to my kids.
Original Title: Pesme za decu
Genre: Poetry, Children's book
Original publisher: unknown
Date first published: multiple
Date first read: Around age 4 or 5
Main character(s): multiple
Favorite quote: N/A
Synopsis:
This is a collection of famous poems by children's author Jovan Jovanovic, called Zmaj (dragon in English). The poems vary in subject but are some of the widely known poems in the countries formerly composing Yugoslavia.
Review:
I cannot recall the details of these poems, but I know I have read them. The book is still in the family - it's a small, thin volume, obviously worn out by time, but still very legible. It's cover is green and has a little girl's face as well as some flowers on the cover.
When I recently visited my aunt (who has the book, probably without knowing), I found it in the storage room shelves and picked it up. I didn't get a chance to read the poems again, but when I looked at the book and flipped through the book, looking at some of them, I was struck by a memory of when I did first read it. I remember zipping through the poems, and being amazed that some of them were already known to me, my mom and grandma having recited and sung some of them to me (like Tasi, Tasi, Tanana). Others were new to me.
I'm pretty sure my aunt will be reading these to her granddaughter at some point, though I hope the book lasts long enough for me to read them to my kids.
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