Her stories are about pure freedom which is so important now
AUTHOR and illustrator Lauren Child helped bring Pippi Longstocking to life for a new generation when she drew a series of fabulous pictures to accompany a new edition of Astrid Lindgren’s 1945 classic first book, Pippi Longstocking, in 2007, writes
Matt Nixson.
A former Children’s Laureate, her next reimagining, Pippi Goes On Board, is due out in the autumn. Lauren, 54, from London, says: “I had never ever illustrated for other authors but, when I was asked to do Pippi Longstocking, I realised I couldn’t turn down Astrid Lindgren. I found her books so inspiring as a child. They’re about pure freedom and an escape from conventional thinking and it’s so necessary that children be allowed that.
“Astrid Lindgren is all about childhood and we really need it. These days, sadly, a lot of children are finding they get less and less of it. There are so many pressures and concerns for them in the modern world.
“When drawing Pippi, I had to find a way of showing the hugeness of her personality, the fact she cannot be contained by the authorities or anybody – she is this free spirit. I tried to convey that; very often she’s leaving the page or not quite fitting. You’ll just see part of her leg as she’s ahead of us all the time.
“I think I probably loved illustrating the new book even more than the first. There’s a very touching chapter when Pippi’s friends think she’s about to leave. There’s this generous innocence about her – perhaps she doesn’t notice just how loved she is. She is very excited about going back to sea with her father.
“There’s this lovely scene where they’re chasing each other up on to the roof. I could’ve dedicated a whole chapter to it. It’s exactly how children forget themselves when they are truly playing. You really feel that sense of a child crawling through a window and up a ladder. There’s so much joy in it. I don’t know if Astrid was conscious of it because she wasn’t an illustrator, but somehow she paints these pictures with her words that really conjure the scenes.”