Pippi Longstocking

Pippi is the queen of the quirky kids, and I was one of her tribe. But it turns out you don’t have to be a bookish little girl in glasses to appreciate her antics.

My son thought Pippi, with her zany outfits and absurd tall tales, was fantastic. Sure, I had to take a moment to make sure he knew that parents don’t generally leave little kids alone to fend for themselves in big Victorian houses. Once we got that point out of the way, Pippi was an absolute pleasure to read together.

I related to Pippi. I, too, was a pretty strong little girl, so to see it blown into ridiculous proportions delighted me. Her freedom also taught me something new about life. It was wild and enticing, but it also showed chaos and loneliness, with no one to teach basic life lessons or scratch her back at bedtime.

Living through Pippi inspired me to be brave and strong and to look out for others, along with giving me an appreciation for having a stable home.

I myself grew up with the Pippi Longstocking books and now my children love them as well.

We watch the movie (the old Swedish one, from the 80’s, not the cartoon ;) ) and read the books over and over again. When traveling we listen to Astrid herself reading them as audiobooks. Which kid doesn’t love sleeping with it’s feet on the pillow, having a chest full of gold coins and buying all the candy the candy store has to offer?

Now, I know what you’re thinking: Pippi Longstocking? That’s not a food book!

And while it’s true that the playful Pippi has all sorts of adventures, when I think of Pippi Longstocking, I think of the big-shoed girl rolling out cookie dough on the floor of her massive house, whipping up pepparkakor by the hundreds. From buns to Swedish cookies to beautiful cream pies, there is no shortage of mouth-watering desserts in Pippi Longstocking.  

What an incredible character she is – read as an adult, she's inhuman, really – like a sort of a jester, or a demon with a flaming head. It's a children's book and reading it didn't require straining the brain at all but there were the occasional emotional moments (really grim ones at that), which made me put down the book and meditate on "what the fuck just happened?" Pippi is a treasure – I find her way more interesting as a character than say, Alice (of the Wonderland) – yet only the latter gets movies and games made out… show more.

With her red braids, freckles, and flair for the outrageous, Pippi Longstocking is the archetypal feisty girl. At ten years old Pippi lives all by herself, so she can do exactly as she pleases–pretty much every kid’s dream! Pippi may not always be the best rule follower (and nor was I at her age!), but I love the rules Pippi does live by: kindness, positivity, and standing up for what she believes in. Big-hearted, irreverent, and full of high spirits, it’s impossible not to adore Pippi Longstocking. Although she is flawed she loves herself exactly the way she is, red… show more.

I missed out on reading this as a kid, I think because I saw part of the 1969 movie version and found it unwatchable. But better late than never! A precocious and heroic girl living alone, Pippi Longstocking’s surreal but often literal take on the adult world exposes contradictions and paradoxes in the most entertaining fashion. She behaves the way kids often wish they were allowed to and suffers no fools along the way.