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Common Knowledge

Birthdate: 1944-07-12
Date of death: 2017-06-13
Gender: male
Nationality: Sweden
Birthplace: Stockholm, Zweden
Place of death: Stockholm, Zweden
Occupations: children's book author
Awards and honors: Deutscher Jugendliteraturpreis (1994)
Astrid-Lindgren-Preis (1993)

Members

Reviews

Panda's Amazing Journey by Sophie Holmqvist

Lily seemed to like the first part of this book. She likes pandas. She calls them "pa-pa."

She's not really old enough to sit through the whole thing, though.

I found the book in the neighborhood little free library. I wanted to like it because IKEA made it, and I like IKEA. The story was random and weird, though. When I checked the IKEA website, it looked like it might have been created as a vehicle to sell stuffed toys.

Back to the little free library it went.

Flagged

word.owl | Nov 12, 2024 |

Can You Whistle Johanna by Ulf Stark

What a treasure of a fable. A very quick read, illustrated, but it's got humor, pathos, and a heck of a lot of wisdom. Definitely for all ages. Perfect for a family to read aloud together, whether or not they have (or have lost) a grandfather. Secular, but with enough of a spiritual vibe that I don't imagine Christians will be bothered.

There is a cigar, and some *very* petty 'theft' so you might want to be ready to discuss those aspects with your children.

Flagged

Cheryl_in_CC_NV | 2 other reviews | Oct 18, 2024 |

The Runaways by Ulf Stark

I enjoyed this and believe that the _target audience would too. I don't like the illustrations at all, and I think the translation was awkward in a couple of places, and I wanted to get to know the dad better. But overall it delighted me just as much as the blurb promised it would. If you're going to die anyway, shouldn't you be allowed to follow your dreams on your last days? I particularly liked the bits about swearing/trying not to swear.

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Cheryl_in_CC_NV | 2 other reviews | Oct 18, 2024 |

When Dad Showed Me the Universe by Ulf Stark

Barbara's lovely review reminds me of [b:Journey from Peppermint Street|86912|Journey from Peppermint Street|Meindert DeJong|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1351925945l/86912._SX50_.jpg|2013643] by the master [a:Meindert DeJong|1194868|Meindert DeJong|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1408663696p2/1194868.jpg]. Even though that book is much longer, it might be fun/ illuminating to compare & contrast the two.
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Hm. Maybe not entirely similar.

This one really bothers me, though the concept is wonderful. Dad says the boy is 'silly' for appreciating the beauty of a thistle flower and snail, and tells the boy to look up. And then he tells the boy how to feel about seeing all the stars, and makes a point of assigning names to them... or to their constellations (it's not exactly clear).

Well, the boy honors Dad's intent, so I guess I should, too. However, I cannot quite recommend this, and have decided not to rate it.… (more)

Flagged

Cheryl_in_CC_NV | 1 other review | Oct 18, 2024 |

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