The Six Bullerby Children

Books by Astrid Lindgren featuring the Six Bullerby Children (In the US released as The Children of Noisy Village):

• All About the Bullerby Children
• Cherry Time at Bullerby
• Six Bullerby Children
• Springtime at Bullerby

It was originally published in 1947 in Sweden. It has since been translated into 39 languages^[1] and published in many countries including the United States and the United Kingdom.

The houses of Bullerby, (in reality: Sevedstorp), 2009

These books are about six children living in a tiny, remote village in Sweden and are set in the late 1930s, a relatively calm time in Sweden although a war "starting soon" is sometimes briefly mentioned in newspapers the kids are reading. The agricultural world is still in pre-industrial state (no tractors, no harvesters) but there are cars in the village and shops are available.

The story-teller is a little girl named Lisa; she tells us about her life and adventures in the small and neat Swedish village Bullerby (Bullerbyn in Swedish). The village consists of three lined up houses in which live seven children with their parents and housekeepers: Lisa with her older brothers Lasse and Bosse, the siblings Britta and Anna, as well as Ole with his little sister Kerstin. Astrid Lindgren not only depicts a village with a special charm, but she also creates a perfect children's world; it touches the reader especially by its simplicity which holds the deep wisdom of true human values and a great amount of fine humour.

Bullerbyn is identical with a small village called Sevedstorp where Lindgren's father grew up (10 miles from her hometown Vimmerby and the village Näs—the birthplace of Astrid Lindgren). Even today the three houses which appear in the story remain in Sevedstorp where Astrid Lindgren's grandparents lived. The stories have led to the Bullerby Syndrome term.

Films

• 1960 – Alla vi barn i Bullerbyn (television), directed by Olle Hellbom
• 1986 – The Children of Noisy Village, directed by Lasse Hallström
• 1987 – More About the Children of Noisy Village, directed by Lasse Hallström

The television series from 1960 was also re-edited into two feature films, Alla vi barn i Bullerbyn (1960) and Bara roligt i Bullerbyn (1961). The two movies by Lasse Hallström were reworked into a 7 episode TV-series, titled Alla vi barn i Bullerbyn, that was broadcast in 1989.

References