Short summary - Pippi Goes On Board (Pippi Långstrump går ombord) - Astrid Lindgren

Scandinavian literature summaries - 2023

Short summary - Pippi Goes On Board (Pippi Långstrump går ombord)
Astrid Lindgren

How Pippi goes shopping

One clear spring day, when Tommy and Annika were out of school, Pippi decided to go shopping. Grabbing a handful of gold coins, the children went out to the main street of the town. Peppy started by buying a hand from a mannequin, deciding that a third hand would be very useful to her.

You sit at the table during dinner, a fork in one hand, a knife in the other, and then you just want to pick your nose or scratch your ear. No, you can’t say anything, it’s not stupid to have three hands.

Pippi then emptied the candy store and distributed sweets to children who had run away from all over the city. Then came the turn of the toy store - every child got what they always dreamed of.

A crowd of children filled the street, loudly blowing toy pipes. A policeman came to the noise and ordered the children to go home. Those were not opposed - everyone wanted to tinker with a new toy.

Finally, Pippi went to the pharmacy, where she bought medicines for all diseases, while bringing the pharmacist to white heat. Out on the street, Peppy decided that it was not practical to keep such small portions of medicines in such large vials. Without hesitation, she poured everything into one bottle, took a few sips from there and declared: if she does not die, then the mixture is not poisonous, and if it is poisonous, then it will come in handy for polishing furniture.

I'm sure this is a very good trick, because I feel much more cheerful than before. If I were a cat, I would lift my tail high, ”Pippi concluded.

As a result, Peppy had nothing left but a hand from a mannequin and a few lollipops.

How Pippi writes a letter and goes to school

One day Tommy received a letter from his grandmother and told Pippi about it. She also wanted to receive a letter and wrote it to herself. There were a lot of mistakes in the letter, and the children again began to persuade their girlfriend to go to school. They said that their class would go on an excursion to the forest.

Pippi considered it unfair that the excursion would take place without her, and the next morning she came to school. She took a seat on a birch tree that grew in front of the school, saying that the classroom was "thickened with learning" and she felt dizzy. Of course, the children were no longer up to mathematics, so the teacher finished the lesson and led everyone into the forest.

How Pippi participates in a school trip

The day was very fun. The children played in the "monster", in the role of which Pippi acted. In the evening, everyone went to the house of a girl who lived near the forest, where a treat awaited them. On the way, Peppy stood up for an old horse that was beaten with a whip by an evil farmer - she threw the farmer several times in the air, and then forced him to drag a heavy bag all the way to the house.

At a party, Peppy began to stuff buns into her cheeks. The teacher said that she must learn to behave if she wants to become a real lady, and told the girl about the rules of behavior. Pippi wanted to become a real lady, but then her stomach growled. Since a lady cannot growl in her stomach, Pippi decided to become a sea robber.

How Pippi goes to the fair

An annual fair with many stalls and attractions opened on the main square of the town. Tommy and Annika went to the fair with Pippi, who dressed up like a real lady - drew her eyebrows with charcoal, smeared her nails and lips with red paint and put on a toe-length dress with a large cutout on the back.

I think that when you go to the fair, you need to look like a real lady,” she said and walked along the path, imitating the ‹…› gait of urban fashionistas.

First, Pippi impressed the hostess of the shooting gallery with her accuracy, then she gave her friends a ride on the carousel with horses, after which she went to the booth to watch the performance. The girl liked the drama so much that she jumped onto the stage and saved the heroine from the insidious killer.

In the menagerie, Pippi decided to take part in the performance and hung a huge boa constrictor around her neck, which tried to strangle her, and then saved the little girl from a tiger that escaped from the cage.

Pippi's adventures did not end there. She had to re-educate a hefty loafer who kept the whole town at bay. The loafer came to the fair and began to offend the old sausage-maker. Seeing this, Pippi picked up the big man and juggled him a little, after which the slacker paid for the spoiled sausage. The inhabitants of the town were delighted with the girl.

How Pippi is shipwrecked

Tommy and Annika spent all their days with Pippi and even learned lessons from her in the kitchen, and the girl told them about her adventures. One day we were talking about shipwrecks. Tommy remembered that not far from the town, on the lake, there is an uninhabited island, and Peppy decided to be shipwrecked on it.

When Tommy and Annika were released for the holidays, and their parents left for a few days, Pippi fixed the old boat, and the friends went to the island in the company of a horse and Mr. Nilsson.

Thrifty Pippi took with her a tent and food. The children lived on the island for several happy days. They cooked over a fire, hunted tigers and cannibals, fought pirates, and swam in the lake to their heart's content.

When it was time to return home, it was discovered that the boat had disappeared. It was Pippi who decided that they had been on the island too little for the shipwrecked.

If a person is lucky enough to get to a desert island, then one must live there for at least seven years.

Pippi threw a bottle with a letter of help into the lake, but it washed up on the shore of the island. Realizing that no one was going to save them, the girl took out a boat hidden in the bushes and took her friends home.

How Pippi receives a dear guest

Once, when Tommy and Annika were sitting on Pippi's porch and eating strawberries, a man appeared at the gate, who turned out to be Pippi's father, Captain Efroim. He really became the Negro king on the island of Veselija, and now he has come to take his daughter there.

Having greeted Pippi, Ephroim began to measure his strength with her. Although the captain was very strong, Pippi still defeated him. Then dad changed into a Negro king costume and entertained the children all evening. Despite the merriment that reigned in the house, Tommy and Annika were sad, because Pippi would soon leave them.

How Pippi arranges a farewell feast

Peppy was happy: for six months she would be a Negro princess, and for the other six months she would be a sea wolf on Papa Ephroim's schooner, which was already waiting for her in the port.

It's not often that girls suddenly become Negro princesses. Oh, how amazing, how elegant I will be! Rings in the ears, and a huge ring in the nose.

Before leaving, Peppy decided to arrange a farewell feast and invite "everyone who wants to say goodbye to her" to it. The girl was very loved, so a whole crowd of children came to say goodbye to her. The crew of the schooner "Bouncer" also appeared at the feast. The sailors and Papa Efroim entertained the children and played with them all evening.

Pippi decided to spend this night at the Chicken Villa, although Papa Ephroim called her to the schooner with him. The girl left Tommy and Annika the keys to the house and allowed them to come here, play and take whatever they want.

How Pippi sets sail

In the morning Pippi got on her horse, put Mr. Nilsson on her shoulder and went to the port, accompanied by Tommy and Annika. All the inhabitants of the town gathered on the pier to say goodbye to Pippi. When the girl carried the horse to the ship, Annika began to cry. Tommy braced himself, but soon his face was in tears.

Seeing her tearful friends, Peppy decided to stay. She felt it was unfair that someone should suffer because of her. Pope Ephroim decided that “it is better for a child to lead a settled life,” and promised to come to visit often. Peppy agreed with him.

For young children, it is absolutely necessary that life should go according to routine, and most importantly, that they themselves should start this order.

At parting, the captain handed Pippi another suitcase with gold coins.

Soon Tommy and Annika were already returning to the Chicken Villa, and Peppy was telling them another incredible story.