| Title | : | The Children of Noisy Village |
| Author | : | |
| Rating | : | |
| ISBN | : | 014032609X |
| ISBN-10 | : | 9780140326093 |
| Language | : | English |
| Format Type | : | Paperback |
| Number of Pages | : | 128 |
| Publication | : | First published January 1, 1946 |
The Children of Noisy Village Reviews
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Astrid Lindgren had a penchant for married men and story-telling, and I would have pushed people out of my way to get closer to her at a dinner party.
Ms. Lindgren's writing always pulls you in and tells you who's boss, even if it hides behind an illustrated cover and looks like it was meant for kids.
And, let me tell you, if my kids had lost interest this week in this “kids' read” The Children of Noisy Village (they didn't), I would have continued reading it on my own. Absolutely.
In fact, when my daughters and I got to chapter five of our read aloud, which is entitled How Olaf Got His Dog, they had the pleasure of watching their mother collapse in sobs when little Olaf finds a way to save a dog that was being beaten and neglected by Mr. Kind, the nasty village shoemaker.
I was so invested in the story, I whispered, “You got what you deserved, you bastard,” as tears streamed down my face, while my nine-year-old looked on, confused, and said, “Mommy, I thought only Patricia Polacco and Charlotte's Web made you cry.”
What, have we just forgotten all about Little House on the Prairie AND Anne of Green Gables??
Just add this one to the list, okay?
So, yes, the story is beguiling (yes, I wrote beguiling), the black and white sketched illustrations are perfect for the text, and most children and adults will find themselves ready to move into this fictional Noisy Village, posthaste. -
Save this book in the Audible format until you’re sick, deathly sick. Especially if you’re separated from your mother — either by distance or death — so that she is not available to feed you homemade soup, tuck you into bed, and otherwise coddle you and read you a story. The Children of Noisy Village makes a nice substitute when you’re ailing.
The six children of Noisy Village — 9-year-old Lisa; her mischievous older brothers, Karl and Bill; and neighbors Anna, Britta, and Olaf — don’t live in an actual village at all, but in a grouping of three farmhouses, as was the way in Sweden long ago, unlike in America where farms were spaced out. The three farmhouses got the affectionate nickname because of all of the ruckus an active pack of children can create.
Set in a time before electricity or automobiles made their way to rural Sweden, The Children of Noisy Village is as healing as hot tea, chicken soup, or a cool hand on your fevered forehead. Lisa recounts the fun she and the other children have celebrating a favorite birthday, Christmas Eve and Christmas, Easter, and New Year’s Eve; spending the night on Lake Nocken to capture crayfish during the season, a misbegotten trip to the actual village to pick up a few staples, and hours and hours of imaginative pretending and creative games. Such ordinary pursuits should have been dull or cloying, right? But
Astrid Lindgren, best known for
Pippi Longstocking and its sequels, infuses Lisa’s tale with so much wit and imagination that I lapped up this short book — well, like my mother’s chicken soup. Highly recommended to readers of all ages. -
Indeed and truly, the Noisy Village series (actually the German language translations of Astrid Lindgren's original Swedish text, and where the hamlet is known as Bullerbü) was one of my absolute favourites when I was a little girl (and I must have read all three books at least ten times, and that is at best a rather conservative estimate). And at that age (from about the age of seven to ten) I just felt and knew on a purely emotional and personal level that I absolutely adored the sweet and enchanting episodical nuggets of a generally carefree childhood in a turn of the century Swedish village (actually, even less than a village, but really just three interconnected farms). But now, after recently rereading this here omnibus of all of the Bullerbü stories (and for the first time in decades), I can absolutely and totally appreciate and understand both emotionally and academically, stylistically, how simply wonderful the first-person narrative of seven year old Lisa really is, as Astrid Lindgren has so perfectly captured the innocent, but also astute voice of an imaginative and observant child (Lisa shines, and from her, emanates a magic that makes everything in Bullerbü sparkle with sweetness and light).
However, although Die Kinder aus Bullerbü (and yes, in the English translations, Bullerbü is indeed known as Noisy Village) thus still remains and will always remain a total personal favourite, I am also by no means blind and deaf to the fact that there are also some need to be discussed issues and potential problems with Die Kinder aus Bullerbü, such as for example the rather unfortunate and salient fact that the children of Bullerbü, and especially the three boys, are constantly and joyfully playing Indian (a tendency of especially older adventure and nostalgia based children's literature which is often and with much justification regarded as profoundly anathema by many Native Americans and Canadians). And while even as a child, these episodes always did feel mildly uncomfortable, they also did not bother me all that much either, but they certainly do quite massively grate and chafe now. Now I do realise that these stories, that these anecdotal episodes were all written in the 1940s (and that the concept of playing Cowboys and Indians was a common and accepted trend and theme in European children's literature, and is actually still much more commonplace and accepted than in North America), but I do still cringe a bit and even feel a trifle guilty.
And yes, if were in this day and age reading the Bullerbü series with or to children, I would most definitely be discussing this (to me important) scenario, especially with regard to that one scene in Die Kinder aus Bullerbü where the children are pretending that the family cows are an opposing Native American tribe (as that does really feel insulting to Native Americans and Canadians). However, and for me happily and appreciatively, at least in the German translations, these episodes have all been retained, to be discussed as necessary, unlike in the American "Noisy Village" translations, where they have seemingly been redacted altogether, understandable perhaps, but also both unfortunate and even rather unacceptable, as for one, these episodes are an integral part of the original plot and storyline and as already briefly pointed out, for two, also lead themselves very well to discussions and considerstions as to what constitutes so called political correctness (and whether inclusiveness and cultural understanding could even be achieved by simply removing, expurging words, scenes, themes now deemed possibly or probably offensive from older and more dated children's books, as really, removing such content could actually and easily be painting, showing an erroneous portrait of the past, of the world when the given book, in this case, the Bullerbü trilogy, was first published). And gosh, just having reread the trilogy for the Fiction Group has been in every way as magical and a lovely way of spending some time comfort reading. -
I loved this account of day to day Swedish life. Asrid Lindgren captures perfectly the relationship between friends and the rivalry between brother and sister. We loved the details of games played, dens built and festivals celebrated. We really didn't like Tony Ross's illustrations, their modern style just didn't suit the traditional nature of the stories.
We love Bullerby, we would happily move there tomorrow and if that wasn't possible would happily read this book again and imagine! -
The Noisy Village series (well actually, the German language translation of Astrid Lindgren's original Swedish text, and where the hamlet is known as Bullerbü) was one of my absolute favourites when I was a little girl (I must have read all three books at least ten times, and that is a conservative estimate). At that age (from about age six to age nine or ten) I just felt and knew on a purely emotional and personal level that I absolutely adored the sweet and enchanting episodical nuggets of carefree childhood in a turn of the century Swedish village (actually, even less than that, but really just three interconnected farms). Now, after recently rereading (and again in German) for the first time in decades, I can truly appreciate and understand both emotionally and academically, stylistically, how simply wonderful the first-person narrative of seven year old Lisa really is. Astrid Lindgren has so perfectly captured the innocent, but also astute voice of an imaginative and observant child (Lisa shines, and from her, emanates a magic that makes everything in Bullerbü sparkle with sweetness and light).
With such a glowing preamble, why then only two stars for this English language translation, for The Children of Noisy Village? It has NOTHING to do with the story, with the general themes presented, and EVERYTHING to do with Florence Lamborn's woefully inadequate translation, or rather what has been changed and is missing in said translation. Not only are the episodes themselves arranged rather haphazardly, there are anecdotes in the first book (in this book, in this translation) that in the German editions I read (and likely also in the Swedish originals, but that is speculation on my part) appear in books two and three. But even MORE of an issue is the fact that there are numerous chapters which do not appear at all, which have seemingly been entirely omitted (expunged) by the translator. And that, at least for me, is not only flabbergasting but also totally unacceptable, and for me, a massive insult to both Astrid Lindgren and her legacy as an author. And thus, I firmly believe that it is high time for a new English language translation of the Noisy Village series, namely one that keeps to the original, and does not arbitrarily omit entire chapters! -
Çocukken okuduğum kitapları yeniden satın alıp okumak fikri için teşekkürler canim kendim. Su an üstümde bulunan stresi aldı götürdü. 💆🏻♀️
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Sheer delight. Seriously. I'm not sure when I've read a children's book that was so delightful. I found this book in "A Landscape with Dragons." The author called it the Little House on the Prairie of Sweden.
I had to keep stopping to read sections to whoever in my family would listen to me. See for yourself:
Mommy says she can't understand why it takes more than twice as long to walk home as it does to walk to school. I don't understand it either. But it just can't be helped.
As we were walking along, Britta took her book out of her schoolbag and smelled it. She let all of us smell it. New books smell so good that you can tell how much fun it's going to be to read them.
The day after we baked the ginger snaps was fun too, for then we went to the forest to cut the Christmas trees. All the fathers go along when we cut the Christmas trees--and all the children too, of course. the mothers have to stay at home and cook, poor things!
Then there was nothing to do but WAIT. Karl said that times like those hours in the afternoon of Christmas Eve, when you don't do anything but wait and wait, are the kind of things people get gray hairs from. We waited and waited and waited, and from time to time I went to the mirror to see if I had any gray hairs yet.
I feel sorry for all people who have never rowed out on a lake at four in the morning and picked up crayfish traps. -
Kousek falunské uzenky, té nejlepší ❤
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Jako dítě jsem tuhle knížku měla snad ze všech nejraději, četla jsem ji mnohokrát a vlastně jsem ji nikdy úplně neodklidila do zapomnění. I tak mě ale překvapilo, s jakým nadšením na tyto příběhy ze života bullerbynských dětí reagovalo moje vlastní (předškolní) potomstvo. Žádné princezny, draci a trpaslíci, ale zážitky normálních, trochu divočejších a rozhodně šikovných a podnikavých dětí v idylickém koutě švédského venkova, to je něco! :) Užili jsme si to úplně všichni, je to skutečně nesmrtelné dílo.
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Tohle je retro vzpominka na detstvi jak krava :) a kdyz mate vlastni deti, tak dvojnasob. Hezke, mile, jednoduche z pohledu male holcicky, ale desne...zabavne? Atmosfericke? Kouzelne :)
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This is my favorite children's book, and it's chock-full of delightful things: Sweden, a small farming community, seasons and traditions, and the plain old fashioned fun that comes from being privy to the everyday life of a child.
The chief delight is that the story is told through the eyes of an 8yo narrator, who is sometimes wise and sometimes clueless, often in the same sentence, and always convincingly 8 years old. The chapters by and large alternate between incidents that are universal (to Swedish tradition or to life more broadly) and particular (to the life of the six Noisy Village children and their specific schemes and escapades). I think the book charms us by offering a picture of real life as we know it, in all its humorous quotidian glory, while at the same time giving us a glimpse of an enchanting world that we ourselves do not know.
This was a reread for myself and my two boys (we read it in January 2021), and we loved it as much if not more than two years ago. Although all the children in the book are a few years older than mine, I think we found it especially delightful that the narrator is a girl with two older brothers, mirroring our family exactly. Ned, my 5yo, asked me to read it throughout the day, during the weekends, and before bed when I wasn't planning to -- this is a first, as he often requests another chapter but never initiates a readaloud. It seems he, like I, was often thinking about the book and longing to return to the world of Noisy Village, which (his father and I hope) marks an important awakening in his literary life.
Ned gave me this review of the book, which I transcribe here so that I can keep it forever in my archives and heart: "I like the way Lisa talks about so much stuff: days, and the things they have." My interpretation: he delights in the realism, the description of the everyday, and also the material culture depicted in the book. (Me too, Ned!)
By the end of the book, even Anselm, my 7yo, was asking for another chapter, while 4yo Adelaide was a rapt listener the whole time.
"We have one chapter left," I said; "should we read it?"
"Read it!" said Anselm and Adelaide together.
"Don't read it!" said Ned, "because then it will be over. I want to save it for tomorrow."
"Well," I explained, "I do have the second book coming to the library. It might come tomorrow."
"Okay," Ned conceded, "read it!" -
Pati rašytoja prisimindama savo vaikystę yra sakiusi ,,Mes tiek žaisdavom,žaisdavom, żaisdavom ir żaisdavom,jog reikia stebėtis,kaip gi mes neužsižaisdavim iki mirties". Visgi, knygoj aprašoma kiek kitokia-labiau senelių,mamų, tėčių ir šiek tiek mano vaikystė ( pasisekė,kad augau kaime). Ne tokia moderni, nevarżoma šiuolaikiškų draudimų (telefono, televizoriaus ar šviesoforo). Amżinoji vaikystė, pilna visokio gero.
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Gut investierte 50 Cent - dieses Buch habe ich aus dem Buchverkauf der Landesbibliothek. Als Kind habe ich diese Geschichten nie gehört oder gelesen. Natürlich merkt man ihnen ihr Alter an. Sehr kurzweilig
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Truyện dễ thương, ấm áp, trong trẻo, lại kết thúc cuốn sách là đêm Giáng Sinh nữa nên đọc thấy hợp quá chừng. Cảm giác một vùng trời tuổi thơ hồn nhiên khiến ta thấy cuộc đời thật là đáng yêu.
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Väike vahepala lõputöö kirjutamise juurde. Väga sobilik on viienda peatüki algus: "Suvi on vahva. Kõik muutub otsekohe toredaks sellest ajast peale, kui kool lõpeb."
Ja üldse - vahet ei ole, mis vanuses loed. Ikka nii tore! Naersin südamest. -
This scores a solid 4 stars as it was an absolute favourite of my eldest daughter between ages 8 - 11. We listened to the audio version numerous times. A girl of 7 tells about her daily life on Middle Farm with her two brothers and the children of the neighbouring farms (North and South Farms). She tells about her birthday, and Christmas and going to the school and shops, Hits the spot exactly for the age group.
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[1984]
Libro raccontante le storie di 6 bambini che abitano un piccolissimo paese immaginario di tre case. -
Huba mi při tom čtení nahlas málem upadla, protože A. nechtěla přestat. Skvělé společné čtení!
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100 pages of nostalgia from the author of Pippi Lockstocking. The children of Noisy Village are six children living on three adjacent farms in a hamlet in Sweden.
One of them narrates these short tales from their year - from making maps and caves in the hayloft in the summer to struggling through miles of snow to get home at Christmas.
The boys and girls are fairly typical - they like adventures and playing pretend, picking strawberries, dressing up, sometimes they prefer to play apart, but they are also good friends.
As an editor notes at the end, the episode involving stealing eggs from nests and blowing them woudl these days be both illegal and considered in a very different light to back in the 1940s, but I'm glad it was left in - it's good to be able to share such acts and explain how times have changed.
For an adult, though I have never even visited Sweden, this has a lovely wistful feel to it, of childhoods past and village life in a time before technology, of innocence and children making their own fun.
Chapters are very short, and it would be perfect for bedtime reading with a 5-7 year old, so parents can talk about the differences between now and then, the children's lives and their own. A couple of issues would raise questions - the egg blowing for one, and also the chapter involving an abused dog.
Times may change, but children don't, and this is a lovely collection of short adventures to show today's children what their grandparents young lives (or those of their contemporaries) may have been like. -
I had never read this book before, in fact: I'd never heard of it until a few months ago. It's a sweet little book, about the lives of a group of children who live on three neighboring farms. It's written in a very simple style, ostensibly by one of the children, Lisa, who describes different traditions and aspects of their life. This would be a great first chapter book. It's 123 pages, with illustrations in each short chapter.
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My six year old and I are having fun with this one so far.
Update: As a read-aloud, it's probably three stars, but I think for an eight year old reading it to herself, it would be a four. From a parent's perspective, it's full of wholesome fun and adventures. I did enjoy reading about the Swedish holiday traditions. -
Ich liebe die vielen kleinen Abenteuer, die die Kinder aus Bullerbü erleben. Ich wäre auch gerne dort aufgewachsen :D
Die Geschichten werden aus Kinderaugen erzählt und sind dabei so herrlich naiv und gutgläubig. Auch nach 20 Jahren konnte ich mich noch an alles ganz genau erinnern und ich bin sicher in weiteren 20 Jahren wird es auch noch so sein. -
Moje milované Děti z Bllerbynu. Byly doby, kdy jsem na té knize ujížděla,jak na nějaké droze. Myslela jsem si,že už jí znám vážně nazpaměť a ejhle ono je v ní stále co objevovat. Nostlagie největší. Asi si ji zarámuju a pověsím nad postel :-)
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Underbar bok!
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ENGLISH VERSION BELOW
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Die Geschichten rund um die Kinder aus Bullerbü gehören nicht grundlos zu den Weltklassikern. Es sind einfach rundum-Wohlfühl-Bücher bzw. Geschichten.
Ich lese mich nochmal langsam durch alle Lindgren-Büchern, mit einer neuen (erwachsenen) Perspektive. Es hat sich nichts geändert.
Bullerbü ist Sonne, Schnee und Jahreszeiten.
Bullerbü bedeutet Freundschaft, Abenteuer, ein bisschen Gefahr und auch mal Streit, aber vor allem viel Spaß.
Wenn man an all die Dinge denkt, die man gern hat und sich im Herz ein warmes Gefühl ausbreitet … das ist das Gefühl, das man hat, wenn man „Wir Kinder aus Bullerbü“ liest.“
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The stories about the children from Bullerbü do not belong to the world classics for no reason. They are simply all-round feel-good books or stories.
I read through all the Lindgren books again slowly, with a new (adult) perspective. Nothing has changed.
Bullerbü is sun, snow and seasons.
Bullerbü means friendship, adventure, a bit of danger and sometimes quarrels, but above all a lot of fun.
When you think of all the things you like and a warm feeling spreads through your heart ... that's the feeling you get when you read “The Children of Noisy Village." -
A delightful collection of everyday stories about "the children of Noisy Village". As a bedtime story, it was fun to be transported to another time and place and to share many laughs with my sons.
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Bezpečná nostalgia z detstva, teplé kakao a mäkká perina, keď je človek chorý, sám a je mu smutno. Tieto Lindgrenovej Bullerbyny - čarovné, nadčasové svety.
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Lisu z Bullerbynu drží její násilnický, neustále opilý otec zamčenou ve sklepě, ve kterém si vysnila tak idylický a nekonfliktní alternativní Bullerbyn, až musí být už od prvních stránek každému jasné, že jde o halucinace a že Lasse, Bosse i další děti jsou ve skutečnosti potkani.
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Eine süße und charmante Geschichte. Dies ist auch ein perfektes Buch für Deutsch B1.
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I had not heard of this book before this year, but started seeing it mentioned in multiple places this fall. I finally got around to checking out a copy to read to my kids after Christmas. It has been the perfect way to finish out the year. The story is narrated by a young girl in a Swedish village. It reminds me of Miss Read's tales of village life in a simpler time, but from the perspective of a young child. We all thoroughly enjoyed it.
