Astrid Lindgren

The noisy children of three neighboring families have a gay time at Christmas baking cookies, cutting and decorating trees, eating fruitcake and tarts, and opening Christmas gifts.

Jonas, Maria, and Lotta, the rambunctious Nyman children, have a year of exciting adventures and prove themselves to be unpredictable.

A farm girl listening to the Christmas story sees everything as if it were happening in her own stable.

Five-year-old Lena longs to go to school and is excited when her older brother takes her with him to spend the day at his school.

"One beautiful spring day in Sweden, Goran the bull charges furiously out of his stall and into the farmyard. People gather from miles around to see the angry bull, but no one can calm him down. Then Karl, the farm boy, has a brave idea. Can the little boy save the day?"--Back cover.

Anna and Matthew, two poor siblings who have known only hunger, cold, and hard labor since their mother died, follow a bright red bird to a land of happiness.

"Come now little one, it's time to go to sleep. All the little children are tucked up in bed. Everyone is going to sleep, now that night is near"--Page 4 of cover. "It's bedtime, and across the land everyone is settling down to sleep. The cows are lying down in their fields, the rabbits are snug in their burrows, and the birds are resting on their branches. Except someone isn't quite ready to close their eyes just yet"--

The escapades of a nine-year-old Swedish girl and her younger sister, as they picnic on the woodshed roof, play Moses in the bullrushes, go for a walk on the frozen river, and celebrate Christmas.

Pippi, Tommy, and Annika have all kinds of adventures when they run away together.