(2) PS Translated by Polly Lawson. Illustrated by Marit Törnqvist. A young child lies in bed, surrounded by a multitude of stuffed animals. All are carefully tucked in, the child in their bed; stuffies in doll beds, carriages, boxes, drawers, and shelves. It is a cozy scene, redolent with love and care and perfectly suited to the soothing tone of the text: "Come now little one, it's time to go to sleep. All the little children are tucked up in bed." The scene then moves outside, and viewers follow the family cat as it roams across open fields, woodlands, and hillsides past cows, sheep, and pigs, all bedding down in family groups. "In woodland and water, bushes and burrows," all the earth's creatures are falling asleep. The book closes back in the child's bedroom, where the roving cat has returned and is curled up next to the now-slumbering youngster. The light has changed from twilight to the dark blues of night, and the stuffed animals have slightly changed positions; they too have closed their eyes and succumbed to sleep. Törnqvist's soft and impressionistic full-bleed mixed-media paintings enfold viewers with love and security. Read this along with Margaret Wise Brown's The Big Red Barn--and even the most reluctant toddler will be lulled to sleep.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth | Horn Book Magazine Issue: July, 2021

(3) 4-6 Translated by Evelyn Ramsden. Four siblings and their absentminded father rent an island cottage and have episodic adventures both merry (attempts to teach a raven to say "go to blazes") and melancholy (loss of a pet). The translated dialogue is full of silly Pippi Longstocking–like logic, although the Melkersons' lives are far more prosaic than Pippi's. Should appeal to fans of classic family stories, or recent approximations such as The Penderwicks.

Reviewer: Shoshana Flax | Horn Book Magazine Issue: November, 2015

(3) 4-6 Translated by Jill Morgan. Illustrated by Ilon Wikland. In this wish-fulfillment fantasy originally published in 1954, a neglected foster child in Stockholm discovers that he is the long-lost son of the King of Farawayland. There Mio finds happiness but must embark on a dangerous quest. Child-pleasing details and adventures move the plot along, but the tone is permeated with Mio's need for his father's love, imbuing the book with melancholy longing.

Reviewer: Martha V. Parravano

(4) 1-3 Translated by Tiina Nunnally. Illustrated by Ingrid Vang Nyman. Like Pippi Moves In, this second collection of comics (originally published in a Swedish children's magazine in the 1950s) is translated and available in the U.S. for the first time. The simple four-page stories are told via word balloons and bold, cheerful illustrations. The slight tales may serve as introductions to the longer novels or appeal to readers already familiar with Pippi's exploits.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) 1-3 Translated by Tiina Nunnally. Illustrated by Ingrid Vang Nyman. A collection of comics originally published in a children's magazine in Sweden in the 1950s are here translated and published in book form in the United States for the first time. Children familiar with the novels will recognize the genesis of stories they know well. The plots are slight, but the humor and art are strong and childlike.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) 4-6 Translated by Tiina Nunnally. Illustrated by Lauren Child. This glorious oversize edition, felicitously translated, celebrates the hundredth anniversary of Lindgren's birth. Child has outdone herself in conveying the mayhem and magic of Pippi's world. Using her trademark collages and clever typographical designs, she makes us believe that Pippi can hardly be contained within the pages and might come bursting forth the minute we turn our backs.

Reviewer: Terri Schmitz | Horn Book Magazine Issue: September, 1950

(2) K-3 Translated by Patricia Crampton. Illustrated by Marit Tornqvist. In Lindgren's imagistic text, orphans Matthew and Anna live with a farmer who works them mercilessly. One day a red bird directs them to an open door in the woods that leads to a sunny world where children laugh and play. This paradise transforms Matthew and Anna into happy children. Both the text, written in Swedish in 1959, and art excel at portraying mood through season.

Reviewer: Christine M. Heppermann | Horn Book Magazine Issue: March, 2005

(3) K-3 Translated by Elisabeth Kallick Dyssegaard. Illustrated by Pija Lindenbaum. In reward for helping an "odd little old man," Britta is given a seed that grows into a doll in her garden. The doll, who talks and eats and is named Mirabelle, is "pretty wild," but together the two have lots of fun. Lindgren's narration is as straightforward and direct as a conversation, and the appealing childlike illustrations employ slightly off-kilter perspectives and effective color choices.

Reviewer: Anita L. Burkam

(4) PS Translated by Elisabeth Kallick Dyssegaard. Illustrated by Hans Arnold. The story of Barbara and her imaginary twin sister Lalla-Lee was published in Sweden in 1949 with Arnold's illustrations added in 1973, and is now newly translated into English. The twins have wonderfully childlike adventures that include eating all the caramels they want, owning matching poodles, and riding their swift horses. Arnold's elaborate illustrations, although a bit dated, suit the fanciful story.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(3) K-3 Illustrated by Ingrid Nyman. Pippi hears reports about "bad guys" in the city park and uses her incredible strength and naiveté to address the problem. This picture book first appeared in Sweden in 1949 and is more successful than the recent picture book adaptations from the Pippi novels. Nyman's simple, colorful illustrations work effectively with the eccentric but fresh and innocent story.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth

(4) K-3 Translated by Elisabeth Kallick Dyssegaard. Illustrated by Ingrid Nyman. This picture book, first published in Sweden in 1947, is translated into English for the first time. The several short episodes (Pippi the "thing-finder," Pippi at the circus, Pippi's birthday party) don't add up to a complete story; the cartoony illustrations in vivid colors look dated--but neither will bother young listeners, who will enjoy this innocuous introduction to a beloved character.

Reviewer: Maeve Visser Knoth