This is where I want to spend my summer - a little red and white cottage in the Swedish countryside with my kids running around without shoes, picking blueberries, taking a dip in an ice cold lake, drinking lots of coffee. Unfortunately, this little imaginary house is thousands of miles away and is situated in one of the most expensive countries in the world. We will have to just be okay with grocery store berries and sticking our feet in a kiddy pool for now. If your summer dreams take you to the idyllic farms, lakes, and forests of Scandinavia, grab a pint of farmer's market blueberries and strong cup of joe, and read these selections to the kids at bedtime.
This post is all about the collective stories written about the Bullerby children by the famous Swedish children's author, Astrid Lindgren (If she doesn't sound familiar, Pippi Longstocking is her creation.) I have found these stories in separate volumes with titles like Happy Times in Noisy Village and The Children of Noisy Village. I also have found older and possibly out of print versions still available through online book sellers that put all of the Bullerby stories together in one book. My copy is called All About the Bullerby Children.
The Bullerby kids are two brothers and a sister living on a farm in a Swedish village. They run around with the other children in their village doing everyday kid stuff like climbing trees and learning to share new toys. These stories would make a great choice for an introduction into chapter books for maybe kindergartners or first graders. The stories are very sweet and innocent. The words and plot lines are very simple, and young children will love reading about kids who are just like them. Thanks for reading today! Tack sa mycket (thank you very much in Swedish)!