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Karlson on the Roof Paperback – January 1, 1992

by Astrid Lindgren (Author)
4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 164 ratings
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Previous page
  1. Language
    English
  2. Publisher
    Mammoth
  3. Publication date
    January 1, 1992
  4. ISBN-10
    0749710373
  5. ISBN-13
    978-0749710378
  6. See all details
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Product details

  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Mammoth (January 1, 1992)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 0749710373
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-0749710378
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 3.46 ounces
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.7 4.7 out of 5 stars 164 ratings

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  1. Astrid Lindgren

    Astrid Lindgren

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    Astrid Lindgren was born in 1907, and grew up at a farm in the south of Sweden. She began her writing career in 1944 after she won a children's book competition, with Pippi Longstocking published a year later.

    She wrote 34 chapter books and 41 picture books, that all together have sold a staggering 170 million copies and been translated into more than 100 languages.

    Astrid Lindgren died in 2002.

    See more on the author's page
  2. Tony Ross

    Tony Ross

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    Discover more of the author’s books, see similar authors, read author blogs and more

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Customer reviews

4.7 out of 5 stars
4.7 out of 5
164 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Karen D.
5.0 out of 5 stars Karlson causes more mischief and laughs than Pippi
Reviewed in the United States on January 18, 2018
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This book is hilarious! It is even funnier than Pippi Longstocking (also written by Astrid Lindgren). A friend recommended we read Karlson on the Roof based on our love of Pippi and we haven’t been disappointed. My sons appreciate this book because the protagonist, Smidge, is a seven-year-old boy (my daughters also enjoyed this story). Mothers of sons will love Smidge’s innocent, funny manner. Karlson is a crafty, fat little man who lives on the roof of Smidge’s building and flies with a motor and propeller strapped to him. He flies into the homes of unsuspecting people, including Smidge, and is soon up to plenty of “jiggery-pokery” (mischief). He has an unsurpassable wit and readers will delight in his antics, including playing “nanny” to a neighbor’s baby and scaring away burglars in a ghost costume. His rapid-fire humorous exchanges with Smidge are superb. I read this book aloud to my children and had to put it down a number of times because I was laughing so hard! My kids still chuckle about Karlson’s “cock-a-doodle-moo medicine!” You, and your children, will love Smidge as well as Karlson, who IS truly the “World’s Best Karlson!”
6 people found this helpful
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Gio
5.0 out of 5 stars Don't You HAVE to be Swedish ...
Reviewed in the United States on November 20, 2010
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... to understand why so many of Astrid Lindgren's characters are impertinent-but-yet-polite, rowdy-but-yet-not-violent, unruly-but-yet-orderly? The boy Smidge, the focal character of this tale, fits that description perfectly. His "imaginary friend" (who turns out NOT to be imaginary) is the embodiment of what Smidge himself would be if he weren't restrained by his loving family, his innocence, and his ineffable Swedishness. Karlson -- the boastful, deceitful, unreliable, selfish egotist who lives on Smidge's roof and who flies through his bedroom window to lure him into mischief -- is a kind of child Loki, a scamp who means to do more wickedness than he can achieve with Smidge at his side.

I was surprised to find the 'Karlson' books available in English translation. (An amazon-friend alerted me to this.) Lindgren wrote at least 40 or 50 books for children, many of them short and simple in diction like Karlson. My all-time favorite is her longer Mark-Twain-like "Rasmus på Luffen", which hasn't been translated. This translation of Karlson on the Roof is quite British in tone, rather than American, a fact that may make it less appealing to children and their parents in the USA. A really skillful parental reader might choose to 'improve' upon the idioms spontaneously. But, to be fair, Lindgren's Sweden was far closer to Britain culturally than to the Disunited States.

I bought this for a little grand-nephew but I had to sneak a reading of it for myself. Shopping for an edition, I was flabbergasted to discover that there are numbers of Russian translations of this and other Lindgren books! And that many of the reviewers and commenters are of Russian or Ukrainian roots, reminiscing about reading Lindgren in their native lands and hoping to sustain the tradition among their American children and grandchildren. I have a feeling that this should be 'meaningful' -- a source of insight into the Slavic Mind -- but I can't for the life of me say what it means. How on Earth do you render "Hejsan hopsan, Karlson" in Russian?
3 people found this helpful
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J. Zhang
5.0 out of 5 stars A classic from the childhood
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2011
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I grew up in China and read this book in my pre-teen to teenager years. This book ranks the highest amongst my youth favorite, along with "Bambi, A Life in the Woods". After I came to US, I tried to find this book in English and couldn't find it. I was genuinely disappointed by that! Now that my kids are 9 years old, I want them to read this book so tried my luck again, and this time I am pleasantly surprised to find out the English version is now available.

I read it again recently. This time I no longer found it as fascinating as when I read it in my youth. I blame it on the fact that grown-up minds are too crowded to enjoy simple childish fun. So it is my fault, not the book's fault.

I do have some complaint about the art work of this translation, however. In the Chinese version I read, the art work was great, where Karlson was a square-pant Bob like figure with eczema all over his face. Smidge was a thin, fragile boy. The art work matches the characters described in the book very well. In this translation, however, apparently new art work was created for some reason (copyright?), and I felt the new art work is far worse than the original.

Still, the story is the same. My kids enjoyed it thoroughly. What a great book!
8 people found this helpful
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Brrrlington
5.0 out of 5 stars GOAT. This series is LOL funny. A truly great read aloud for all ages.
Reviewed in the United States on May 6, 2020
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This English translation is great. My family still quotes many of the hilarious turns of phrase. It is full of absurd mischief and sweetness. Try it.
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Elena Buckley
4.0 out of 5 stars We love Karlson
Reviewed in the United States on May 3, 2020
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Karlson is a famous and very much loved character in Russia where I am from. I got the book for my 5 yo step-daughter and she absolutely loves it. The book itself is not the quality I expected. Paper is low quality, there are a few pictures and they are black and white. Therefore, 4 stars. Mostly for the story
One person found this helpful
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JMI
5.0 out of 5 stars Adventurous and very funny
Reviewed in the United States on October 25, 2019
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If wish there were more books of this quality available on the market. It’s not about the cover, it’s about the content! My 8 y.o. daughter loves reading books of Astrid Lindgren, including this one. It’s adventurous and very funny. She literally keeps reciting stories for me. I highly recommend this book for any kid age 5 and up. I enjoy reading it myself. :)
One person found this helpful
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Alessya
5.0 out of 5 stars A rare find
Reviewed in the United States on March 26, 2016
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I loved Astrid Lindgren's books as a child and was delighted to find them in English (children's books by non-American authors are so hard to find in the States). Sadly, when I offered them to a friend with a small kid, she refused because the writer was a known Nazi supporter. I had no idea, that's rather disappointing because all of her books are highly entertaining. Oh well, I'm sure I'll find another reader for them one day, these books are a collector's item.
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A. Shnitser
5.0 out of 5 stars Great book
Reviewed in the United States on January 27, 2021
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Awesome book...kids seem to be listening to it. Had issues with previous books.
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Top reviews from other countries

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Rodríguez
5.0 out of 5 stars Lectura a precio asequible
Reviewed in Spain on February 2, 2020
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El libro llegó en perfecto estado. La letra es grande y legible, el precio asequible. Es una lectura entretenida y graciosa para niños de 8 a 13 años.
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Ocke
5.0 out of 5 stars Karlson on the Roof
Reviewed in Germany on November 11, 2013
Verified Purchase
Lindgren's Karlson on the Roof macht generationsübergreifend Spass
- zuverlässig und schnell
- der Beschreibung entsprechend
- allen, die vorlesen oder erzählen müssen,
zu empfehlen
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justkarlson
5.0 out of 5 stars Karlson on the Roof
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 29, 2012
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'Karlson on the Roof' is the first book about Karlson (by world famous Astrid Lindgren). It is the must of children (and adult who did not forget their childhood!) classics! I grew with Karlson, he was my childhood hero, I even wrote my first proper essay on him at school with direct citation(sometime in the fifth class), which was read aloud by a teacher. I felt I need my children to know him, however as we are living in another country, and they do not speak our language, I searched for an English translation. No luck in libraries, had to buy it . It is excellent value for an excellent book. It was interesting reaction of one of my kids - he 'gobbled' a book in one evening, absolutely liked it, eager to read it aloud to a younger sibling and ... evaluation of Karlson- 'he is a bit mean'. For me, Karlson was absolutely funny. Go read it! Do not linger only on Pippi, which seems to be most acknowledged of Lindgren's books in English. By the way, the second boo is called 'Karlson flies again', and the third one 'The World's Best Karlson'.
About other reviews regarding translation: the only solution is to read original Swedish! If you are not able - that's it. But mainly translations change with reissues and the fashion in language _ Midge's (or Smidge's) sister can be Barbie or Sally. You see what I mean - then Barbies were top popular it was Barbie then. I believe every translator is not good who translates literally, but who tries to give a reader an essence of the author. And names are just fashions.
6 people found this helpful
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doris Aulbach
5.0 out of 5 stars Karlson on the roof
Reviewed in Germany on January 21, 2015
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Für Kinder gut geeignet.
Die Kinder kennen bereits die deutsche Variante und können sich besser einlesen in die englische Sprache
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Aiste R
5.0 out of 5 stars Quick!
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on March 9, 2014
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The delivery was very quick and the condition of the book was also very good. I have ordered this book as the cartoon based on this book was one of my favourite cartoons to watch. I have started reading this book to my children and they love it.
One person found this helpful
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