Pippi Longstocking

For nearly 60 years this story has been a favorite with children even as it has sometimes been controversial for adults. It's easy to see both sides. Children love it because of its heroine, a child completely freed from, subversive of, and stronger than, adult authority. Some adults are suspicious of it for the very same qualities. Less a novel than a series of vignettes connected only by common characters, it has a silly, but very childlike, sense of humor, is easy to read, and doesn't demand much of the reader beyond a suspension of disbelief -- so it's popular with young readers making the transition to chapter books.

This new, large-format edition boasts a seamless new translation (the original was written in Swedish) that modernizes the language a bit, but not too much. It also has new illustrations that are humorous, if a bit on the abstract side. Its size and large print make it well suited to reading aloud with a child following along in the text, and perhaps taking a turn with the reading. Though it may not have the same appeal to today's kids that it had for earlier generations, if you're looking to introduce your kids to a favorite from your own childhood, this is a good way to do it.