Pippi, like Peter Pan, embraces her youth—every single moment of it. Though some adults in Pippi Longstocking definitely have a children should be seen not heard approach to kids, the overall take on childhood is that it's a blast and kids should be left to enjoy it. Pippi is creative and fun and silly and spontaneous, she can make a day of hunting for tin cans or climbing trees. Without adults around to shape her development or impose a lot of rules, the people of the town at first worry that Pippi will be taken advantage of, or become a delinquent, or otherwise fail to thrive… but they're wrong on every count.
Questions About Youth
- Think about how Pippi, Tommy, and Annika spend their time. How is the portrayal of childhood in the book similar to childhood in today's world? What's different? How close is the representation of childhood in the book to the way you remember your own childhood? Are there any similarities? Any glaring differences? Explain.
- We keep saying that Pippi is kind of like Peter Pan, but what do you think? How are the two characters alike? How are they different? Will Pippi ever grow up, and if so, what do you think she'll be like as an adult?
- How much adult intervention do kids need in their everyday lives? How much freedom should kids be given to just do whatever comes naturally?
Chew on This
It's all well and good to say that kids should have time to climb trees and have picnics, but the childhood depicted in Pippi Longstocking—where kids roam their neighborhoods free of all adult supervision—is unrealistic in today's world.
Kids today are overscheduled and overregulated. Parents, educators, and kids would all do well to take a page out of Pippi's book and chillax when it comes to their schedules.