Pippi Longstocking
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For Quincy – L.C. Astrid Lindgren Illustrated by 3 Great Clarendon Street, Oxford OX2 6DP Lauren Child Oxford University Press is a department of the University of Oxford. It furthers the University’s objective of excellence in research, scholarship, and education by publishing worldwide in Oxford New York Auckland Cape Town Dar es Salaam Hong Kong Karachi Kuala Lumpur Madrid Melbourne Mexico City Nairobi New Delhi Shanghai Taipei Toronto With offices in Argentina Austria Brazil Chile Czech Republic France Greece Guatemala Hungary Italy Japan Poland Portugal Singapore South Korea Switzerland Thailand Turkey Ukraine Vietnam Oxford is a registered trade mark of Oxford University Press in the UK and in certain other countries ) Copyright © Saltkråkan AB/Astrid Lindgren 1945 English translation copyright © Tiina Nunnally 2007 (www.tiinanunnally.com Illustrations copyright © Lauren Child 2007 With thanks to David Mackintosh for his design The moral rights of the author and illustrator have been asserted Database right Oxford University Press (maker) First published as Pippi Långstrump First published in the UK by Oxfordby University Rabén & PressSjögren 1954 1945 First published in this edition 2007 This edition first published in paperback in 2010 Longstocking All rights reserved. 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The manufacturing process conforms to the environmental regulations of the country of origin 3 Chapter One Moves intoVillekulla Pippi Villa On the outskirts of a tiny little town was a neglected garden. In the garden stood an old house, and in that house lived Pippi Longstocking. She was nine years old, and she lived there all alone. She had no mother or father, which was actually quite nice, because it meant that no one could tell her that she had to go to bed just when she was having most fun. And no one could make her take cod liver oil when she would rather eat sweets. 7 PIPPI LONGSTOCKING PIPPI MOVES INTO VILLA VILLEKULLA Once upon a time Pippi did have a father whom she let me tell you,’ Pippi used to say with delight. ‘And as loved very much. And of course she once had a soon as my pappa builds himself a ship, he’ll come mother too, but that was so long ago that she couldn’t back to get me, and then I’ll be a native princess. remember her at all. Her mother died when Pippi Yippee, what fun that will be!’ was a tiny little baby, lying in her cot and crying so Many years ago her father had bought the old house terribly that no one could stand to come near. Pippi that stood in the garden. He had planned to live there thought that her mother was now up in heaven, with Pippi when he grew old and was no longer able peering down at her daughter through a hole. to sail the seas. Then, unfortunately, he was blown Pippi would often wave to her and say, ‘Don’t overboard. While Pippi was waiting for him to come worry! I can always look after myself!’ back, she headed straight home to Villa Villekulla. But Pippi had not forgotten her father. He was That was what the house was called. It stood there, all a sea captain who sailed the great seas, and Pippi had furnished and ready—just waiting for her to arrive. sailed with him on his ship until one day a big storm One beautiful summer evening she said goodbye to blew him overboard and he disappeared. But Pippi all the sailors on her father’s ship. They were very was sure that one day he would come back. She didn’t fond of Pippi, and Pippi was very fond of them. believe that he had drowned. She believed that he had ‘Goodbye, boys,’ said Pippi, kissing each of them on washed ashore on an island that was inhabited by the forehead, one after the other. ‘Don’t worry about natives and that her father had become king of them me. I can always look after myself!’ all. He walked around wearing a gold crown on his Two things she took from the ship. A little monkey head all day long. whose name was Mr Nilsson—he was a present from ‘My mamma is an angel, and my pappa is king of her father—and a big suitcase full of gold coins. The the natives. Not all children have such fine parents, sailors stood at the railing with their eyes fixed on 8 9 PIPPI LONGSTOCKING PIPPI MOVES INTO VILLA VILLEKULLA Pippi for as long as they could see her. She walked name was Annika. They were two very nice, firmly away without looking back. Mr Nilsson sat on well-mannered, and obedient children. Tommy never her shoulder, and she carried the suitcase in one hand. bit his fingernails, and he always did whatever his ‘What an amazing child,’ said one of the sailors, mother asked him to do. Annika never made a fuss if and he wiped a tear from his eye as Pippi she wasn’t allowed to have her own way, and she disappeared in the distance. always looked so dainty in her crisply ironed little He was right. Pippi was a quite amazing child. The cotton dresses, which she was careful not to get dirty. most amazing thing about her was that she was so Tommy and Annika played very nicely together strong. She was so incredibly strong that there wasn’t in their garden, but they had often wished for a a policeman in the whole wide world who was as playmate. While Pippi was still sailing the seas with strong as she was. She could lift a whole horse if she her father, they would sometimes lean over the fence wanted to. And she did. She had her own horse that and say to each other, ‘It’s so sad that no one has ever she had bought with one of her many gold coins on moved into that house! Someone should live there, the very same day that she arrived home at Villa someone with children.’ Villekulla. She had always longed to have her own On that beautiful summer evening when Pippi horse. He now lived on the porch. Whenever Pippi stepped through the front door of Villa Villekulla for wanted to have her afternoon coffee there, she would the very first time, Tommy and Annika were not at simply lift him down into the garden. home. They had gone to visit their grandmother for a Next to Villa Villekulla was another garden with week. That’s why they had no idea that someone had another house. In that house lived a father and moved into the house next door. On the first day after a mother with their two sweet children, a boy and they came home, when they were standing at their a girl. The boy’s name was Tommy, and the girl’s front gate and looking out at the street, they still 10 11 PIPPI LONGSTOCKING didn’t know that a playmate was actually so close. As they stood there, wondering what to do and whether anything fun was going to happen that day, or whether it was going to be one of those boring days when they couldn’t think of anything to do—just at that moment the gate to Villa Villekulla opened and a little girl came out. She was the strangest girl that Tommy and Annika had ever seen. It was Pippi Longstocking, going out for her morning walk. This is what she looked like: Her hair was the colour of a carrot and it was plaited in two tight plaits that stuck straight out. Her nose was the shape of a very small potato, and it was completely covered with freckles. Under her nose was an exceptionally wide mouth with nice white teeth. Her dress was quite odd. Pippi had made it herself. It was supposed to have been blue, but there hadn’t been enough blue material, so Pippi had decided to sew on little red patches here and there. On her long, thin legs she wore long stockings, one of them brown and the other black. And she wore black shoes that were exactly twice the length of her feet. 12 PIPPI MOVES INTO VILLA VILLEKULLA Now she was walking Her father had bought those shoes for her in South America, big enough so she would have room to grow into them, and Pippi never wanted any others. What made Tommy and Annika really open their eyes wide was the monkey who was sitting on the strange girl’s shoulder. It was a little African monkey, backwards. and he was dressed in blue trousers, a yellow jacket, and a white straw hat.