How Peppy goes to school. II. How Pippi writes a letter and goes to school. III. How Pippi plays tag with the police

17.12.2023

Of course, both Tommy and Annika went to school. Every morning at exactly eight, they, holding hands, with textbooks in their bags, set off on the road.

It was at this hour that Pippi most loved to ride a horse, or dress up Nilsson, or do exercises, which consisted of jumping on the spot forty-three times in a row without bending. Then Pippi sat down at the kitchen table and, in complete peace, drank a large cup of coffee and ate several cheese sandwiches.

Walking past the Chicken Villa, Tommy and Annika looked longingly over the fence - they really wanted to turn here and spend the whole day with their new girlfriend. Now, if Pippi also went to school, they wouldn’t be so upset about spending so much time studying.

- How fun it is to run home after school, especially if there are three of us, eh, Pippi? – Tommy said once, vaguely hoping to seduce her.

– And we would also go to school together, huh? – Annika added pleadingly.

The more the guys thought about Pippi not going to school, the sadder their hearts became. And in the end they decided to persuade her to go to school with them at all costs.

“You can’t even imagine what a wonderful teacher we have,” Tommy said one day, looking slyly at Pippi. He and Annika ran to her, hastily doing their homework.

– You don’t know how interesting it is in our class! – Annika picked up. “If I wasn’t allowed to go to school, I would simply go crazy with grief.”

Pippi, sitting on a low bench, washed her feet in a huge basin. She didn’t say anything in response, she just started splashing so hard that she spilled almost all the water.

“And you don’t have to sit there for long, only until two o’clock,” Tommy began again.

- You see, it’s only until two, and before you know it, the bell rings. And besides, there are holidays. Christmas, Easter, summer... - Annika continued in the same tone.

Pippi thought about it, but was still silent. Suddenly, with a determined look, she threw out the rest of the water from the basin directly onto the floor, although Mr. Nilsson was sitting there and playing with the mirror.

“This is unfair,” Pippi said sternly, not paying the slightest attention to Mr. Nilsson’s anger or his wet pants. This is terribly unfair and I will not put up with it!

- What's unfair? – Tommy was surprised.

– In four months it will be Christmas and your Christmas holidays will begin. What will happen to me? – There were tears in Pippi’s voice. “I won’t have any Christmas holidays, not even the short ones,” she continued plaintively. – This needs to be changed. Tomorrow I'm going to school.

Tommy and Annika clapped their hands in joy.

- Hooray! Hooray! So we will be waiting for you tomorrow exactly at eight at our gate.

“No,” said Pippi. - It's too early for me. Besides, I'll ride to school on horseback.

No sooner said than done. At ten o'clock Pippi took her horse out into the garden and set off.

And a few minutes later, all the residents of the town rushed to the windows, looking with horror at the little girl who was carried away by a mad horse. In fact, nothing terrible happened. Pippi was just in a hurry to go to school. She galloped into the yard, jumped to the ground and tied the horse to a tree. Approaching the classroom door, she opened it with such a roar that all the kids jumped up in their seats in surprise, and, waving her wide-brimmed hat, she shouted as loud as she could:

- Hello! I hope I'm not late to the respect table?

Tommy and Annika warned the teacher that a new girl called Pippi Longstocking was coming to class. The teacher had already heard about Pippi - in a small town where everyone knows about everyone, there was a lot of talk about her. And since the teacher was sweet and kind, she decided to do everything to make Pippi like it at school.

Without waiting for an invitation, Pippi sat down at an empty desk. But the teacher did not make any reprimand to her. On the contrary, she said very friendly:

- Welcome to our school, dear Pippi. I hope you enjoy your stay with us and learn a lot here.

“And I hope that I will have Christmas holidays soon,” answered Pippi. “That’s why I came here.” Justice comes first.

– Please tell me your full name. I'll put you on the list of students.

“My name is Peppilotta-Victualina-Rolgardina, daughter of Captain Ephraim Longstocking, formerly the Storm of the Seas, and now the Negro king. Actually, Pippi is my diminutive name. Dad thought it took too long to pronounce Peppilotta.

“I see,” said the teacher. “Then we’ll call you Pippi too.” Now let's see what you know. You are already a big girl and you can probably do a lot. Let's start with arithmetic. Please tell me, Pippi, how much will it be if you add five to seven?

Pippi looked at the teacher with bewilderment and dissatisfaction.

“If you, so big, don’t know it yourself, do you really think that I will count for you?” - she answered the teacher.

All the students' eyes widened in surprise. And the teacher patiently explained that they don’t answer that way at school, that they say “you” to the teacher and, when addressing her, call her “missen.”

“Excuse me, please,” said Pippi, embarrassed. “I didn’t know that and I won’t do that again.”

“I hope so,” said the teacher. “You didn’t want to count for me, but I will willingly count for you: if you add five to seven, you get twelve.”

- Just think about it! - Pippi exclaimed. It turns out that you can count it yourself. Why did you ask me then?.. Oh, I said “you” again - forgive me, please.

And as punishment, Pippi pinched her own ear painfully.

The teacher decided not to pay any attention to this and asked the following question:

- Okay, Pippi, now tell me, what is eight and four?

“I think sixty-seven,” Pippi answered.

“That’s not true,” said the teacher, “eight and four will be twelve.”

- Well, old lady, this is too much! You yourself just said that five and seven are twelve. Some kind of order is needed at school too! And if you really want to do all these calculations, then you could stand in a corner and count for your own good, and in the meantime we would go into the yard to play tag... Oh, I think I’m saying “you” again! Forgive me one last time. I'll try to behave better.

The teacher said that she was ready to forgive Pippi this time, but, apparently, it was not worth asking her questions about arithmetic yet, it was better to call other children.

- Tommy, please solve this problem: Lizzie had seven apples, and Axel had nine. How many apples did they have together?

“Yes, count it out, Tommy,” Pippi suddenly intervened, “and, besides, tell me: why did Axel’s stomach hurt more than Lizzie’s, and in whose garden did they pick apples?”

Freken again pretended that she had not heard anything and said, turning to Annika:

- Well, Annika, now you count. Gustav went with his comrades on an excursion. They gave him one crown with him, and he returned with seven ores. How much money did Gustav spend?

“And I want to know,” said Pippi, “why did this boy waste so much money?” And what did he buy with it: lemonade or something else? And did he wash his ears well when getting ready for the excursion?

The teacher decided not to do arithmetic anymore today. She thought that perhaps Pippi's reading would go better. So she took out from the closet a piece of cardboard with a hedgehog drawn on it. Under the picture there was a large letter “Y”.

- Well, Pippi, now I’ll show you an interesting thing. This is Yo-e-e-zhik. And the letter that is depicted here is called “Yo”.

- Well, yes? And I always thought that e was a big stick with three small ones across it and two fly specks on top. Tell me, please, what does a hedgehog have in common with fly specks?

The teacher did not answer Pippi’s question, but took out another piece of cardboard on which a snake was drawn, and said that the letter under the picture was called “Z.”

– When they talk about snakes, I always remember how I fought with a giant snake in India. You can’t even imagine what a terrible snake it was: fourteen meters long and as angry as a wasp. Every day she devoured at least five adult Indians, and for a snack she feasted on two small children. And then one day she decided to feast on me. She wrapped herself around me, but I was not taken aback and hit her on the head with all my might. Bang! Then she hisses: f-f-f! And I said it again - bam! And then she - wow! Yes, yes, that's exactly how it was. A very scary story!..

Pippi took a breath, and the teacher, who by this time finally realized that Pippi was a difficult child, invited the whole class to draw something. “Probably, drawing will captivate Pippi and she will at least sit quietly for a while,” the lady thought and handed out paper and colored pencils to the children.

“You can draw whatever you want,” she said and, sitting down at her table, began checking the notebooks. A minute later she looked up to watch the children drawing and discovered that no one was drawing, but everyone was looking at Pippi, who, lying face down, was drawing right on the floor.

“Listen, Pippi,” the teacher said with irritation, “why don’t you draw on paper?”

“I painted it all over a long time ago.” But the portrait of my horse did not fit on this tiny piece of paper. Now I'm just drawing the front legs, and when I reach the tail, I'll have to go out into the corridor.

The teacher thought for a minute, but decided not to give up.

“Now, children, stand up and we’ll sing a song,” she suggested.

All the children rose from their seats, all except Pippi, who continued to lie on the floor.

“Go ahead and sing, and I’ll rest a little,” she said, “otherwise if I start singing, glass will fly.”

But then the teacher’s patience ran out, and she told the children to go for a walk in the school yard - she needed to talk to Pippi face to face. As soon as all the children left, Pippi got up from the floor and went to the teacher’s table.

“You know what, Miss,” she said, “I’m thinking this: I was very interested in coming here and seeing what you’re doing here.” But I don’t feel like going here anymore. And with the Christmas holidays, let it be as it will be. There are too many apples, hedgehogs and snakes in your school for me. My head was spinning. You, miss, I hope you won’t be upset by this?

But the teacher said that she was very upset, and most of all because Pippi did not want to behave properly.

- Any girl will be kicked out of school if she behaves like you, Pippi.

- How, did I behave badly? – Pippi asked in surprise. “Honestly, I didn’t notice it,” she added sadly.

It was impossible not to feel sorry for her, because no girl in the world could be as sincerely upset as she was.

Pippi was silent for a minute, and then said hesitantly:

- You see, miss, when your mother is an angel, and your father is a black king, and you yourself have sailed the seas all your life, you don’t know how to behave at school among all these apples, hedgehogs and snakes.

Freken told Pippi that she understood this, she was no longer angry with her, and Pippi would be able to come to school again when she grew up a little. Then Pippi beamed with happiness and said:

– You, miss, are amazingly sweet. And here, miss, is a keepsake from me.

Pippi took a small, elegant golden bell out of her pocket and placed it on the table in front of the teacher. The teacher said that she could not accept such an expensive gift from her.

- No, please, miss, you must accept my gift! - Pippi exclaimed. “Otherwise I’ll come to school again tomorrow, and that won’t give anyone any pleasure.”

Then Pippi ran out into the schoolyard and jumped on her horse. All the children surrounded Pippi, everyone wanted to pet the horse and watch Pippi lead him out of the yard.

– I remember I went to school in Argentina, what a school it was! - Pippi said and looked at the guys. - Eh, you should get there! After the Christmas holidays, Easter holidays begin three days later, and when Easter holidays end, then summer holidays begin three days later. The summer holidays end on the first of November, and here, however, the children have to work hard, because the Christmas holidays begin only on the eleventh. But in the end you can come to terms with it, because in Argentina they don’t give lessons. True, sometimes it happens that some Argentine boy climbs into the closet so that no one can see him and secretly learns a little homework. But his mother gives him a hard time if she notices this. They don't teach arithmetic there at all, and if some boy accidentally knows what is five and seven, and even foolishly tells the teacher about it, she will put him in a corner for the whole day. They read there only on free days, and only if there are books to read, but no one has books there...

– What are they doing at school then? – the little boy asked in amazement.

“They eat sweets,” answered Pippi. – There is a candy factory near the school. So, a special pipe was led from her directly into the classroom, and therefore the children do not have a minute of free time - just have time to chew.

– What does the teacher do? – asked the little girl.

The kids there don’t even go to school themselves, but send their younger brothers and sisters... Well, hello! – Pippi shouted joyfully and waved her big hat. “And you, poor fellows, will have to count for yourself how many apples Axel had.” You won't see me here any time soon...

Pippi drove out of the gate noisily. The horse galloped so fast that stones flew from under its hooves and the window panes rattled.

| |

Municipal budgetary preschool educational institution Child Development Center - kindergarten No. 2 “Zhemchuzhinka”

KRIVKO E . B .

"Pippi Longstocking Goes to School"

Graduation celebration scenario for preparatory group children

Maykop district

Tulsky village

2015

Presenter 1 - Today it is impossible to contain the excitement

Our last holiday in kindergarten
Our hearts are both warm and anxious
After all, the children have grown up and are going to school.

Presenter 2 - Oh, how difficult it is for us to part with them
And release them from under the wing into the light
We became family, we became friends
And it seems that it’s better not to find them.

Presenter 1 - But time passes, both hours and minutes
They tell us about separation.

Presenter 2 - Well, moms and dads, please meet you

Now former preschool children.
(Children enter the hall in pairs with gel balls in their hands, teachers introduce each pair.)

Angelina Lobanova

Graceful and beautiful

Striving towards her dream.

Vlad Steblin

Request and assigned task

Will do it like no one else.

Veronica Temir-Bulat

Since childhood, millions why,

And your comments are useless.

David Brul

To be the first everywhere, always,

Therefore, the character is stronger through the years.

Mira Emykova

Artistic and plastic,

The love for art is boundless.

Ilya Pirogovsky

He's talented from birth

And capable without a doubt.

Lisa Kalyuzhina

Playful, but shy,

Stubborn but sweet.

Stepan Kashkarov

He is fair, smart and lively

Although the character is not at all simple.

Nastya Kleshchenko

Nastenka from the kindest fairy tales,

She absorbed the best features into her soul.

Rybalko Rodion

Balanced, calm, obedient,

But he can become stubborn and lose his temper.

Marianna Abrahamyan

Mandatory, active,

Invincible in all matters.

Timur Thagapsov

If he is really passionate about something,

You will be very surprised by the result.

Valeria Cheskidova

Sweet, talented, smart,

Yaroslav Demchuk

Has all sorts of talent:

Can be an artist, athlete, musician.

Daria Gaponova

Restless since childhood,

Mischievous, athletic and smart.

Maxim Mayor

Surprisingly knows everything about nature,

And the conversation will support this without a doubt.

Leyla Aliyeva

Vulnerable and shy

Beautiful and attentive.

Artemov Yaroslav

Fighting character since childhood,

Always clear in his actions.

Daria Chilolyan

Open heart for friends

And he loves horses very much.

AbdurakhmanLatipov

The language will find everyone instantly,

Will remember names documented.

Sofia Bondarenko

Sweet and charming

Attractive at heart.

Tsvirinko Mikhail

Risky and restless

However, he is kind and handsome.

Nastya Fedyunina

Reasonable and patient

Kind, vulnerable and smart.

DagmirAkentyev

Calm, reserved, patient,

Sociable and hardworking.

Dasha Fedyunina

Caring, flexible,

Unhurried and modest.

Belyavsky Stas

Let it be especially unnoticeable,

But it is obligatory and specific.

Anastasia Buravtsova

Charming and attractive

Sweet, smart, charming.

Simarov Nikolay

Non-conflict, kind and modest,

The circle of friends is always huge.

Darakchan Milena

Curious, well-read, smart,

And endowed with talents.

Tigran Zeytunyan

He is charged with such energy

That you want to shout to him: “Wait!”

Child

We grew up big

Let's go to first grade!

Farewell today

We'll dance for you

(The children release the balls upward to applause.)
Children performing a dance"Waltz"

1st child:

Today we are graduates.

Farewell to our kindergarten!

Our mothers will buy us diaries,

Textbooks, notebooks.

2nd child:

We'll take new briefcases

And with bright flowers

We'll go to school for the first time,

And our mothers are with us.

3rd child:

Today we are graduates

No longer preschoolers.

Fun calls await us

And new guys.

4th child:

Let's go to an unfamiliar class

Along the school corridors.

Farewell to our kindergarten, we have

We will remember you with a smile.

5th child:

We'll sing goodbye

We give this song to everyone.

May this song be a May day

Flying around the world!

Children perform "Medley"

Enter Mary Poppinsdancing to "Lady Mary"

Mary Poppins: Good afternoon My name is Mary Poppins.

Oh, what an uncontrollable breeze! He carried me through the air for an extra ten minutes and all because he saw and chased a butterfly, the mischievous fellow! But look who I see! These are children from the preparatory group...! I remember, I remember how I watched you from the cloud when you, cute little kids, walked along the path to kindergarten! Oh, how small you were! But now you are real graduates.

Presenter: Hello, Mary Poppins! These are our students.

Mary: The north wind whispered to me that today you are going to say goodbye to kindergarten, your toys and go to the land of knowledge. This is true? So you simply need me (takes out a fake thermometer). You ask: “Why do I need a thermometer? “I want to determine the mood in the hall (he puts a thermometer on the children one by one). A very inquisitive boy, an active child, a well-mannered girl, complete perfection, sheer charm, a magnificent mother... Now you understand that you won’t get bored with me?

How many books did you read in kindergarten?

If you put all the books together, you get a long road - straight to Cherry Lane, the same one where I once lived. Nice people live there. Most of all they love to dance.

Leading: And we love you too, right, guys?

Flash mob "We are the best"

Presenter: Dear Mary Poppins! Let's remember how small the children came to kindergarten!

Mary : Please!

Magic umbrella, spin!

Time, go back to the past!

Lisa

We grew up in warmth and affection,
Like flowers in spring,
Every day we met fairy tales
In an amazing country.
It's good that there is something in the world
State "Kindergarten"
Children always play there -
Lots of little guys!

Kids come in

1. The kindergarten is bustling and noisy

Everyone prepared their best suit

Everyone gathered in the beautiful hall

They didn’t let us in, but we broke through.

Child 2: We came to you to say goodbye,

It's very sad to leave!

Is it possible for us to

Take it with you to first grade?

Child 3: You will go to school soon,

And we will grow up

Only kindergarten is fun

We ask you not to forget.

Educator Jr. gr.

Now you have grown up and soon,

The school will open its doors for you.

Well, goodbye little ones,

Now they will tell you: “Goodbye!” (in unison)

Mary : Friends, do you know that I am originally a keeper of fairy tales. And only at night, I open my magic umbrella and read the most interesting, most beautiful and colorful fairy tales to obedient children.

Mary: The umbrella started spinning again.

What other guests will visit our kindergarten now?

To the musicappearsPippi Longstocking

Pippi: Let me introduce myself: Peppilotta-Victuolina-Rolgardina-Longstocking, the strongest girl in the world! Maybe just Pippi.

Presenter: Hello Pippi...

Pippi: And you're greeting incorrectly! You have to say hello with your noses, but to get acquainted, you have to spin around three times in one place. Let's all say hello(greets any of the children) , and now get acquainted(everyone is spinning around themselves) . Well, we said hello and got to know each other, and now let’s tell you what kind of holiday you’re having?(Children's answers) . Why wasn't I invited? Well, okay, I'm not offended! Since it's your holiday, let's have fun.

Pippi: Now we are still children. You can also have some fun. Do you like to play?..Who likes to play, clap your hands!

And who likes to watch cartoons, clap.

And who likes to eat cakes?

And who likes to drink Coca-Cola?

Who loves to swim?

And indulge!

And who loves pears,

Who doesn't wash their ears!!!

Who loves to dance?

Then come out quickly, we will dance my favorite dance.

Dance "Smile"

PEPPIE .And you know, I also once went to school in the country of Veseland.

What a school! Just great! They don’t give lessons there, and those who teach lessons are put in a corner. And no one even has books.

Mary: So what are they doing at this school?

Pippi: Haven't you figured it out yet? They eat candy there! Next to the school is a chocolate factory. A pipe was led from her directly into the classroom. And that’s why the guys don’t have a minute of free time - just have time to chew candy. It's clear?

Mary: What does the teacher do?

Pippi: Are you completely stupid, aunty? The teacher is picking up candy wrappers!

Mary: Guys, what do you think is possible in such a school?- then learn?

(Children's answers)

Mary: Now the guys will sing a song and you will find out what would have happened to a person if he had not studied?

Song "If there were no schools"

Pippi: And now you can tumble and walk on your head!

Mary: Wait, it's not serious.

Pippi: And I’m serious, only on the fifth of every month, then fives always appear in my diary.

Mary: I think in our children’s diaries there will be A’s every day, not just on the fifth!

Pippi: Everyone knows that it doesn’t happen like that, every day it’s an A. Just ask their parents, does it happen? Here I am again right!

Leading: Guys, let's have some fun for our guests.

There are all sorts of stories in life.
We will show you one of them now.
We all came up with this scene together,
Well, now we ask you to clap.

Sketch “Petya goes to school”

Mary: My dear students, I see that you have learned a lot over the years you spent in the Kindergarten. And make friends and read, and joke and dance. We have arrived at the last station, and Schoolland awaits you ahead. Your journey through Schoolland will begin very soon, in September. And of course, your caring parents will bring you to this wonderful country.

(Music sounds)

Mary: So the north wind blew, and it’s time for me to fly to the kids! I know that your parents have very important words to say. Good luck to you!(flies away on an umbrella)

Parents' responses

Our children have become years older,
And he dreams of entering first grade as soon as possible.
Why are our educators sad?
And tears fall from gentle eyes?

The treasured door has opened for the children,
They will all fly out like chicks from a nest,
You gave them all your good heart,
Sparing no effort and effort for them.

Children were given tenderness and generous caresses,
They protected us from trouble with all our hearts, loving
You read them fairy tales about victory and goodness,
To live it with hope and faith in yourself.

The children lost their socks and tights somewhere,
We were angry with you because of such little things,
But even with us you were calm and meek,
Doing my holy work.

Don’t be sad, dear ones, and wipe away your tears,
After all, not only the kindergarten is proud of you!
Please accept our huge thank you,
Because you loved our guys.

You lit children's hearts with love,
Praise and honor to you for your children's happiness!
Your work is like the tributaries of a river
Thank you for being in the world!

Song "Educator"

Vladik : In Preschool Country we played and sang.
But the time has come to say goodbye to friends.
We have become big, we have all matured.
Our boat is sailing to other shores.

Dasha Ch .: Thanks to the teachers
We will say it many times.
And to our dear nanny
We love you very much.

Ilya : And our manager -
Thanks to all children.
Every day is your concern
Our kindergarten is getting brighter.

Yaroslav: Speech therapist, musician
Nurse and cooks.
To all kindergarten employees
Let's talk...
All: Thank you!

Dance « Today is a girls holiday »

(Children give gifts to specialists)

Pippi: Well guys it's time for us to say goodbye

You go to school, and I go back to the fairy tale.

Pippi: See you guys!

Don't be shy, smile more often,

I wish you to dream,

Don't forget kindergarten.

Milena :

We are leaving kindergarten.

But still, there is no need to be sad.

After all, on a golden autumn day

We will all go to school together.

Abdurahman :

It will become our home

Cheerful, kind and familiar.

We won't even notice ourselves

How we can all become friends.

Marianne :

But just know:

We will remember

This is unlikely to be forgotten

Two “mothers”, girlfriends and friends

Who replaced our family.

Lera :

Thanks everyone!

Bow to the ground!

From us, graduates, please accept

And just as carefully, lovingly

Teach your other children.

Children perform a song

“We will soon go to first grade for the first time”

PEPPIE STAYS INTO HER VILLA

On the outskirts of a very small Swedish town there was an old, neglected garden. There was an old house in this garden. Pippi Longstocking lived in this house. She was nine years old, and, imagine, she lived there all alone. She had neither a father nor a mother, but, frankly, this had its advantages: no one forced her to sleep just at the time when the game was best, and no one forced her to drink fish oil when she wanted to eat candy.
Before, Pippi had a father, and she loved him very much. Of course, she also once had a mother, but Pippi no longer remembered her at all. Mom died a long time ago, when Pippi was still a tiny girl, lying in a stroller and screaming so terribly that no one dared to approach her. Pippi thought that her mother now lived in heaven and through a small hole looked at her daughter from there. Therefore, Pippi often waved her hand and said every time:
- Don't be afraid, I won't disappear!
But Pippi remembered her father very well. He was a sea captain, and his ship plied the seas and oceans. Pippi was never separated from her father. But one day, during a strong storm, a huge wave washed him out to sea, and he disappeared. But Pippi was sure that one fine day her dad would return - she could not imagine that he had drowned. She decided that her father ended up on an island where many, many blacks lived, became their king and walked around every day with a golden crown on his head.
- My dad is a black king! Not every girl has such an amazing dad,” Pippi often repeated with visible pleasure. “And when my dad builds a boat, he will come for me and I will become a black princess.” Gay-hop! This will be great!
My father bought this old house, surrounded by a neglected garden, many years ago. He was going to settle here with Pippi when he grew old and could no longer sail the seas. But after dad disappeared into the sea, Pippi went straight to her villa to wait for his return. There was furniture in the rooms, and it seemed that everything had been specially prepared so that Pippi could live here. One quiet summer evening, Pippi said goodbye to the sailors on her father's ship. They loved Pippi so much, and Pippi loved them all so much.
“Goodbye, guys,” Pippi said and kissed each one on the forehead in turn. - Don't be afraid, I won't disappear!
She took only two things with her: a small monkey, whose name was Mr. Nielsen - she received it as a gift from her dad - and a large suitcase filled with gold coins. The sailors lined up on the deck and looked after the girl until she disappeared from sight. Pippi walked with a firm step and never looked back. Mr. Nielsen was sitting on her shoulder, and she was carrying a suitcase in her hand.
“Strange girl,” said one of the sailors when Pippi disappeared around the bend, and wiped away a tear.
He was right, Pippi really was a strange girl. What was most striking was her extraordinary physical strength, and there was no policeman on earth who could cope with her. She could lift a horse if she wanted, and, you know, she did it often. After all, Pippi had a horse, which she bought on the very day she moved into the villa. Pippi always dreamed of having a horse. The horse lived on her terrace. And when Pippi wanted to have a cup of coffee there after lunch, she, without thinking twice, took the horse out into the garden.
Next door to the villa there was another house, also surrounded by a garden. In this house lived a father, a mother and two cute little children - a boy and a girl. The boy's name was Tommy, and the girl's name was Anika. They were nice, well-mannered and obedient children. Tommy never begged anyone for anything and carried out all his mother’s instructions. Anika was not capricious when she didn’t get what she wanted, and she always looked so smart in her clean, neatly ironed cotton dresses. Tommy and Anika played together in their garden, but still they lacked a playmate, and they dreamed of him. At a time when Pippi was still sailing with her father on the ship, Tommy and Anika sometimes climbed onto the fence separating the villa’s garden from theirs and said:
- What a pity that no one lives in this house! It would be nice if someone with children could live here!
On that clear summer evening when Pippi first crossed the threshold of her villa, Tommy and Anika were not at home. They went to stay with their grandmother for a week. Therefore, they had no idea that someone had moved into the neighboring house. The next day after returning from their grandmother, they stood at the gate and looked out into the street, not yet knowing that a playmate was so close to them. And just at that moment when they were discussing what they should do, and did not know whether they would be able to start some kind of funny game, or whether the day would pass tediously, as always when they cannot come up with anything interesting, just at that moment The gate of the neighboring house opened and a little girl ran out into the street. This was the most amazing girl Tommy and Anika had ever seen.
Pippi Longstocking went for a morning walk. And this is what she looked like: her carrot-colored hair was braided into two tight braids that stuck out in different directions; the nose looked like a tiny potato, and besides, it was all speckled with freckles; White teeth sparkled in his large, wide mouth. She wanted her dress to be blue, but since she didn’t have enough blue material, she sewed red scraps into it here and there. On her thin, thin legs were long stockings, one brown and the other black. And her black shoes were twice too big. Dad bought them in South Africa for growing up, and Pippi never wanted to wear other shoes.
But when Tommy and Anika saw a monkey sitting on the shoulder of an unfamiliar girl, they simply froze in amazement. It was a little monkey, dressed in blue trousers, a yellow jacket and a white straw hat.

This is where Pippi met Tommy and Anika. Many funny stories happened to them. You will learn about some of their adventures in the following chapters.

PEPPIE PLAYS TAG WITH THE POLICE OFFICERS

Soon a rumor spread in a small town that a nine-year-old girl was living completely alone in an abandoned villa. And the adults of this town said that this could not continue. All children should have someone to raise them. All children must go to school and learn their multiplication tables. Therefore, the adults decided that this little girl should be sent to an orphanage. One afternoon, Pippi invited Tommy and Anika to her place for coffee and pancakes. She placed the cups right on the steps of the terrace. It was so sunny there, and the scent of flowers came from the flower beds. Mr. Nielsen climbed up and down the balustrade, and the horse pulled his muzzle from time to time to get a pancake.
– How wonderful life is! – said Pippi and stretched her legs.
Just at that moment the gate swung open and two policemen entered the garden.
- Ah! - Pippi exclaimed. -What a happy day! I love police officers more than anything in the world, apart from rhubarb cream, of course.
– And she moved towards the police, beaming with a happy smile.
– Are you the same girl who settled in this villa? – asked one of the policemen.
“But no,” answered Pippi. “I’m a little old lady and I live on the third floor in one of the houses on the other side of the city.
Pippi answered this way because she wanted to joke. But the police did not find this joke funny, they sternly told her to stop fooling around, and then informed her that kind people had decided to give her a place in an orphanage.
“And I already live in an orphanage,” Pippi answered.
– What kind of nonsense are you talking about! - the policeman cried. – Where is it located, your orphanage?
- Yes, right here. I am a child and this is my home. So this is an orphanage. And, as you can see, there is quite enough space here.
“Oh, dear girl, you don’t understand this,” said another policeman and laughed. – You must go to a real orphanage where you will be raised.
– Can you take a horse with you to that orphanage?
- Of course not! - the policeman answered.
“That’s what I thought,” Pippi said gloomily. - Well, what about the monkey?
- And you can’t have a monkey.
You understand this yourself.
- In that case, let others go to the orphanage, I’m not going there!
- But you need to go to school.
- Why should I go to school?
– To learn different things.
– What kind of things are these? – Pippi did not let up.
- Well, very different.
All sorts of useful things. For example, the multiplication table.
“I’ve been doing well without this table of respect for nine whole years now,” Pippi answered, “which means I’ll continue to live without it.”
- Well, think how unpleasant it will be for you if you remain such a know-nothing for the rest of your life! Imagine, you grow up big, and suddenly someone asks you the name of the capital of Portugal. And you won't be able to answer.
- Why can’t I answer? I’ll tell him this: “If you really need to know what the main city of Portugal is, then write directly to Portugal, let them explain it to you.”

“And you won’t be ashamed that you couldn’t answer yourself?”
“Perhaps,” said Pippi. “And I won’t be able to fall asleep for a long time that evening, I’ll just lie there and remember: well, really, what is the name of the main city of Portugal?” But I will soon be consoled,” here Pippi did a stand, walked on her hands and added, “because I was in Lisbon with dad.”
Then the first policeman intervened and said that Pippi should not imagine that she could do as she wanted, that she was ordered to go to an orphanage, and there was no more need to talk in vain. And he grabbed her hand. But Pippi immediately broke free and, lightly slapping the policeman on the back, shouted:
- I insulted you! Now you drive!
And before he had time to come to his senses, she jumped onto the balustrade of the terrace, and from there quickly climbed onto the second floor balcony.
The police did not at all want to climb up in this way. So they both rushed into the house and went up the stairs. But when they found themselves on the balcony, Pippi was already sitting on the roof. She climbed the tiles so deftly as if she were a monkey. In an instant, she found herself on the ridge of the roof, and from there she jumped onto the pipe.
The police sat on the balcony and scratched their heads in confusion. Tommy and Anika watched Pippi enthusiastically from the lawn.
- How fun it is to play tag! – Pippi shouted to the police. “How nice of you to come and play with me.”
After thinking for a minute, the police went to get a ladder, leaned it against the house, and one after another began to climb onto the roof. Slipping on the tiles and having difficulty balancing, they moved towards Pippi.
- Be bolder! - Pippi shouted to them.
But when the police almost crawled to Pippi, she, laughing and squealing, quickly jumped off the pipe and moved to another slope of the roof. On this side, next to the house, there was a tree.
- Look, I'm falling! - Pippi shouted and, jumping from the ledge, hung on a branch, swung on it once or twice, and then deftly slid down the trunk. Finding herself on the ground, Pippi ran around the other side of the house and set aside the ladder, along which the police climbed to the roof. The police got scared when Pippi jumped onto a tree. But they were simply horrified when they saw that the girl had carried away the ladder. Having become completely furious, they began to shout vying with each other for Pippi to immediately put the ladder in place, otherwise they would not talk to her like that.
- Why are you angry? – Pippi asked them reproachfully. “We’re playing tag, so why get angry in vain?”
The police were silent for a while, and finally one of them said embarrassedly:
“Listen, girl, be so kind as to put the ladder back so we can go down.”
“With pleasure,” Pippi answered and immediately put the ladder up to the roof. “And then, if you want, we’ll have some coffee and generally have some fun together.”

But the police turned out to be treacherous people. As soon as they stepped on the ground, they rushed to Pippi, grabbed her and shouted:
“Now you’re caught, you bad girl!”
“And now I don’t play with you anymore,” Pippi answered. – Those who cheat in the game, I don’t mess with. “And, grabbing both policemen by the belts, she dragged them out of the garden and into the street. There she released them. But the police could not come to their senses for a long time.
- One minute! – Pippi shouted to them and rushed as fast as she could into the kitchen. Soon she reappeared, holding a pancake in her hands. – Try it, please! True, they were a little burnt, but that doesn’t matter.
Then Pippi walked up to Tommy and Anika, who stood with their eyes wide open and just amazed. And the police rushed back to the city and told the people who sent them that Pippi was not suitable for the orphanage. The police, of course, concealed the fact that they were sitting on the roof. And the adults decided: if so, let this girl live in her own villa. The main thing is that she goes to school, but otherwise she is free to manage herself.
As for Pippi, Tommy and Anika, they had a great time that day. First they finished their coffee, and Pippi, having successfully finished fourteen pancakes, said:
– Still, these were some fake policemen: they were chatting something about an orphanage, about a table of respect and about Lisbon...
Then Pippi took the horse from the terrace into the garden, and the children began to ride. True, Anika was initially afraid of the horse. But when she saw how merrily Tommy and Pippi were jumping around the garden, she also decided. Pippi deftly sat her down, the horse ran along the path, and Tommy sang at the top of his lungs:

The Swedes are rushing thundering,
The fight will be hot!

In the evening, when Tommy and Anika lay down in their beds, Tommy said:
“But it’s great that Pippi came here to live.” Right, Anika?
- Well, of course, great!
– You know, I don’t even remember what we actually played before?
“We played croquet and stuff like that.” But how much more fun it is with Pippi!.. And then there’s a horse and a monkey! A?..

PEPPY GOES TO SCHOOL

Of course, both Tommy and Anika went to school. Every morning at exactly eight, holding hands, with textbooks in their bags, they hit the road.
It was precisely at this time that Pippi loved most of all to ride a horse, or dress up Mr. Nielsen, or do exercises, which consisted of standing straight on the floor, forty-three times in a row, without bending, as if she had swallowed a yard, she jumped up on place. Then Pippi sat down at the kitchen table and, in complete peace, drank a large cup of coffee and ate several cheese sandwiches.
Walking past the villa, Tommy and Anika looked longingly over the fence. They would much rather turn around now and spend the whole day with their new girlfriend! Now, if Pippi also went to school, it would at least not be so offensive.
- How fun it would be for us to return home, eh, Pippi? – Tommy once said.
“We would also go to school together,” Anika added.
The more the guys thought about Pippi not going to school, the sadder their hearts became. And in the end they decided to try to persuade her to go there with them.
“You can’t even imagine what a wonderful teacher we have,” Tommy said one day, looking slyly at Pippi. He and Anika came running to her after doing their homework.
– You don’t know how much fun we have at school! – Anika picked up, “if I wasn’t allowed to go to school, I would simply go crazy.”
Pippi, sitting on a low bench, washed her feet in a huge basin. She didn’t say anything in response and just started splashing so much that she splashed almost all the water around.
“And you don’t have to sit there for long, only until two o’clock,” Tommy began again.
“Of course,” Anika continued in his tone. - And besides, there are holidays. Christmas, Easter, summer...

Pippi thought about it, but was still silent. Suddenly she decisively poured the remaining water from the basin directly onto the floor, so that it wet Mr. Nielsen’s pants, who, sitting on the floor, was playing with the mirror.
“This is unfair,” Pippi said sternly, not paying the slightest attention to Mr. Nielsen’s anger or his water-soaked pants, “this is completely unfair, and I will not put up with it!”
- What's unfair? – Tommy was surprised.
– In four months it will be Christmas, and your Christmas holidays will begin. What will happen to me? – Pippi’s voice sounded sad. “I won’t have any Christmas holidays, not even the small ones,” she continued pitifully. – This needs to be changed. I'll go to school tomorrow.
Tommy and Anika clapped their hands in joy.
- Hooray! Hooray! So we will be at our gates at eight o'clock sharp.
“No,” said Pippi. - It's too early for me. Besides, I'll go there on horseback.
No sooner said than done. At exactly ten o'clock in the morning, Pippi took her horse off the terrace, took it out into the garden and set off. A few minutes later, all the inhabitants of this town rushed to the windows to look at the little girl who was carried by a mad horse. In reality, everything was not like that. Pippi was just in a hurry to go to school. She galloped into the school yard, jumped to the ground, and tied her horse to a tree. Then the classroom door opened with such a bang that Tommy, Anika and their comrades jumped in their seats in surprise, and shouted at the top of her lungs: “Hello!” – waving his wide-brimmed hat.
– I hope I’m not late for the respect table?
Tommy and Anika warned the teacher that a new girl was coming to class, whose name was Pippi Longstocking. The teacher had already heard about Pippi. In the small town there was a lot of talk about her. And since the teacher was sweet and kind, she decided to do everything to make Pippi like it at school.
Without waiting for an invitation, Pippi sat down at an empty desk. But the teacher did not make any reprimand to her. On the contrary, she said very friendly:
- Welcome to our school, dear Pippi! I hope you enjoy your stay with us and that you learn a lot here.
“And I hope that I will have Christmas holidays,” answered Pippi. “That’s why I came here.” Justice comes first.
– Please tell me your full name. I'll put you on the list of students.

“My name is Peppilotta-Victualia-Rulgardina-Crusminta, daughter of Captain Ephraim Longstocking, “Thunderstorm of the Seas,” and now the Negro king. Strictly speaking, Pippi is a diminutive name. My dad thought Peppilotta took too long to say.
“I see,” said the teacher. “Then we’ll call you Pippi too.” Now let's see what you know. You are already a big girl and you can probably do a lot. Let's start with arithmetic. Please tell me, Pippi, how much it will be if you add five to seven.
Pippi looked at the teacher with bewilderment and dissatisfaction.
“If you don’t know this yourself, do you really think that I will count for you?” - she answered the teacher.
All the students' eyes widened in surprise. And the teacher patiently explained that they don’t answer like that at school, that they say “you” to the teacher and, when addressing her, they call her “miss.”
“Please forgive me,” said Pippi, embarrassed, “I didn’t know that and I won’t do it again.”
“I hope so,” said the teacher. “You didn’t want to count for me, but I’ll count for you: if you add five to seven, you get twelve.”
- Just think about it! - Pippi exclaimed. – It turns out that you can count it yourself. Why did you ask me?.. Oh, I said “you” again - forgive me, please.
And as punishment, Pippi herself pinched her ear hard.
The teacher decided not to pay any attention to this and asked the following question:
- Well, Pippi, now tell me, what is eight and four?
“I think sixty-seven,” Pippi answered.
“That’s not true,” said the teacher, “eight and four will be twelve.”
- Well, old lady, this is too much! You yourself just said that five and seven are twelve. There should be some kind of order at school too! And if you really want to do all these calculations, then you could go to your corner and count for good measure, and in the meantime we would go into the yard to play tag... Oh, I’m saying “you” again! Forgive me one last time. I'll try to behave better next time.
The teacher said that she was ready to forgive Pippi this time too. But now, obviously, it’s not worth continuing to ask her questions about arithmetic, she’d rather ask other children.
- Tommy, please solve this problem. Lisa had seven apples, and Axel had nine. How many apples did they have together?
“Yes, count it, Tommy,” Pippi suddenly intervened, “and, besides, tell me: why did Axel’s stomach hurt more than Lisa’s, and in whose garden did they pick these apples?”
Freken again pretended that she had not heard anything and said, turning to Anika:
- Well, Anika, now you count: Gustav went with his comrades on an excursion. They gave him one crown with him, and he returned with seven ores. How much money did Gustav spend?
“And I want to know,” said Pippi, “why did this boy waste so much money?” And what did he buy with it: lemonade or something else? And did he wash his ears well when getting ready for the excursion?
The teacher decided not to do arithmetic anymore today. She thought that perhaps Pippi's reading would go better. So she took out from the closet a piece of cardboard with a hedgehog drawn on it. Under the picture there was a large letter "Y".
- Well, Pippi, now I’ll show you an interesting thing. This is Yo-e-e-zhik. And the letter that is depicted here is called “Yo”.
- Well, yes? And I always thought that “Yo” was a big stick with three small ones across it and two fly specks on top. Tell me, please, what does a hedgehog have in common with fly specks?
The teacher did not answer Pippi, but took out another piece of cardboard, on which a snake was drawn, and said that the letter under the picture was called “3”.
- ABOUT!! When people talk about snakes, I always remember how I fought a giant snake in India. It was such a terrible snake that you can’t even imagine - fourteen meters long, and as angry as a wasp. Every day she devoured five adult Indians, and for a snack she feasted on two small children. And then one day she decided to feast on me. She wrapped herself around me, but I was not taken aback and hit her on the head with all my might. Bang! Here she hisses. And I said it again - bam! And then she - wow! Yes, yes, that's exactly how it was. A very scary story!..
Pippi took a breath, and the teacher, who by this time finally realized that Pippi was a difficult child, invited the whole class to draw something. “Probably, drawing will captivate Pippi, and she will at least sit quietly for a while,” the lady thought and handed out paper and colored pencils to the children.
“You can draw whatever you want,” she said and, sitting down at her table, began checking the notebooks. A minute later she looked up to watch the children drawing and discovered that no one was drawing, but everyone was looking at Pippi, who was lying face down drawing on the floor.
“Listen, Pippi,” said the lady with irritation, “why don’t you draw on paper?”
“I painted it all over a long time ago.” But the portrait of my horse did not fit on this tiny piece of paper. Now I'm just drawing the front legs, and when I reach the tail, I'll have to go out into the corridor.
The teacher thought for a minute, but decided not to give up.
“Now, children, stand up and we’ll sing a song,” she suggested.
All the children rose from their seats, all except Pippi, who continued to lie on the floor.
“Go ahead and sing, and I’ll rest a little,” she said, “otherwise, if I start singing, the glass will fly.”
But then the teacher’s patience ran out, and she told the children that they should all go out for a walk in the school yard, and she needed to talk to Pippi alone. As soon as all the children left, Pippi got up from the floor and went to the teacher's table.
“You know what, Miss,” she said, “I’m thinking this: I was very interested in coming here and seeing what you’re doing here.” But I don’t feel like going here anymore. And with the Christmas holidays, let it be as it will be. There are too many apples, hedgehogs and snakes in your school for me. My head was spinning. You, miss, I hope you won’t be upset by this?
But the teacher said that she was very upset, and most of all because Pippi did not want to behave properly.
- Any girl will be kicked out of school if she behaves like you, Pippi.
- How, did I behave badly? – Pippi asked in surprise. “Honestly, I didn’t notice it,” she added sadly. It was impossible not to feel sorry for her, because no girl in the world could be as sincerely upset as she was.

Pippi was silent for a minute, and then said, stammering:
- You see, miss, when your mother is an angel, and your father is a black king, and you yourself have sailed the seas all your life, you don’t know how to behave at school among all these apples, hedgehogs and snakes.
The Freken told Pippi that she understood this, that she was no longer angry with her and that Pippi would be able to come to school again when she was a little older. At these words, Pippi beamed with happiness and said:
– You, miss, are amazingly sweet. And here’s a gift for you, miss, from me.
Pippi took a small, elegant golden bell out of her pocket and placed it on the table in front of the teacher. The teacher said that she could not accept such an expensive gift from her.
- No, you must, miss, you must! - Pippi exclaimed. “Otherwise I’ll come to school again tomorrow, and it won’t give anyone any pleasure.”
Then Pippi ran out into the schoolyard and jumped on her horse. All the children surrounded Pippi, everyone wanted to pat the horse and watch Pippi ride out of the yard.
– I remember going to school in Argentina, so it was a school! - Pippi said and looked at the guys. - If only you could get there! There, three days after the Christmas holidays, Easter holidays begin. And when Easter ends, then summer begins three days later. The summer holidays end on the first of November, and here, however, you have to work hard, because the Christmas holidays begin only on the eleventh. But in the end it can be dealt with because in Argentina they don't give lessons. In Argentina, it is strictly forbidden to prepare home lessons. True, sometimes it happens that some Argentine boy secretly climbs into the closet and, so that no one sees, learns a little homework. But his mother will give him a hard time if she notices this. They don't teach arithmetic there at all, and if some boy accidentally knows what five and seven are and tells the teacher about it, she will put him in a corner for the whole day. Reading is done there only on free days and only if there are books to read, but usually no one has such books...
– What are they doing there at school? – the little boy asked in amazement.
“They eat sweets,” answered Pippi. – There is a candy factory near the school. So, a special pipe was led from her directly into the classroom, and therefore the children do not have a minute of free time - just have time to chew.
– What does the teacher do? – the other girl did not let up.
“Silly,” answered Pippi, “the teacher there picks up candy papers and makes candy wrappers.” Don't you think that the guys themselves deal with candy wrappers there? No, pipes! The kids there don’t even go to school themselves, but send their younger brothers... Well, hello! – Pippi shouted joyfully and waved her big hat. - And you yourself somehow count how many apples Axel had. You won't see me here any time soon...
And Pippi noisily drove out of the gate. The horse galloped so fast that stones flew from under its hooves and the window panes rattled.

Translated from Swedish by L. Lungina.
Drawings by E. Vedernikov.

And today,” said Tommy, “Annika and I wrote a letter to our grandmother.

“Well, yes,” said Pippi, stirring something in the pan with an umbrella handle. “And I’m preparing a wonderful dish,” and stuck her nose into the pan to smell it. - “Cook for an hour, stirring vigorously all the time, sprinkling with ginger and serve immediately.” So you're saying that you wrote a letter to your grandmother?

Yeah,” confirmed Tommy, who was sitting on the chest and dangling his legs. - And soon we will probably get an answer from grandma.

But I never receive letters,” Pippi said sadly.

Why be surprised,” said Annika, “after all, you yourself never write to anyone.”

“You’re not writing because,” Tommy picked up, “because you don’t want to go to school.” You can't learn to write if you don't go to school.

“Nothing like that, I can write,” said Pippi. - I know an awful lot of letters. Fridolf, one of the sailors who sailed on my father's ship, taught me letters. And if I don’t have enough letters, then there are also numbers. No, I can write perfectly well, but I just don’t know what. What do they write in the letters?

“Who’s what,” Tommy answered importantly. - For example, I first asked my grandmother how she was feeling and wrote that I felt fine, then I wrote what the weather was like. And then - that he killed a rat in our cellar.

Pippi became gloomy and thoughtful.

What a shame that I never receive letters. All the guys, everyone, everyone receives letters, but I don’t. This can't go on any longer! Since I don’t have a grandmother who would write me letters, I’ll have to do it myself. And immediately.

She opened the oven door and looked into the firebox.

I should have a pencil here, if I'm not mistaken.

There was indeed a pencil in the stove. Then she pulled out a large sheet of paper from there and sat down at the kitchen table. Pippi wrinkled her forehead and looked very worried.

Now don’t interfere,” she said, “I’m thinking!”

Tommy and Annika decided to play with Mr. Nilsson in the meantime. They began to dress and undress him. Annika even tried to put him on the green doll bed in which he usually slept at night: Tommy would be the doctor, and Mr. Nilsson would be the sick child. But the monkey jumped out of bed and in two leaps found itself on the lamp, catching its tail on it. Pippi looked up from the letter.

Stupid Mr. Nilsson,” she said, “never before has any sick child hung upside down with his tail caught in a lamp.” At least not here in Sweden. But in South Africa, I heard that this is how children are treated. As soon as the kids have a fever, they are hung upside down from the lamps, and they rock quietly until they recover. But we're not in South Africa.

In the end, Tommy and Annika had to leave Mr. Nilsson alone, and then they decided to take care of the horse: it was high time to give it a good grooming. The horse was very happy when he saw that the children had come out onto the terrace. She immediately sniffed their hands to see if they had brought sugar. The guys didn't have any sugar, but Annika immediately ran to the kitchen and brought out two pieces of refined sugar.

And Pippi kept writing and writing. Finally, the letter was ready. Only there was no envelope, but Tommy was not too lazy to bring her an envelope from home. He also brought Mark. Pippi wrote her full name and surname on the envelope: “Miss Peppilotta Longstocking, Villa “Chicken”.”

What is written in your letter? - Annika asked.

“How do I know,” Pippi answered, “I haven’t received it yet.”

And just then the postman passed by the house.

There are such luck, - said Pippi, - you meet the postman just at the moment when you need to receive a letter.

She ran out to meet him.

“Please take this letter to Pippi Longstocking,” she said. - It's very urgent.

The postman looked first at the letter, then at Pippi.

Aren't you Pippi Longstocking? - he was surprised.

Of course it's me. Who else should I be? Could it be the queen of Abyssinia?

But why don’t you take this letter for yourself then? - asked the postman.

Why don't I take this letter myself? - asked Pippi. - What do you think, now I have to deliver letters to myself? No, this is too much. Everyone is their own postman. Why then are there mails? Then it’s easier to close them all right away. I have never heard anything like this in my life! No, dear, if you treat your work like this, you will never become a postmaster, I’m telling you that for sure.

The postman decided that it was better not to mess with her and do what she asked him to do. He went to the mailbox that hung next to the gate and dropped a letter into it. Before the letter had time to fall to the bottom of the box, Pippi pulled it out with incredible haste.

“Oh, I’m just dying of curiosity,” she said, turning to Tommy and Annika. - Just think, I received a letter!

All three children sat down on the steps of the terrace, and Pippi opened the envelope. Tommy and Annika read over her shoulder. On a large sheet of paper was written:

LOVE PEPPIE

WALKING-HURRY A5

I HOPE YOU ARE NOT SICK AND HEALTHY AS A COW

HOW IS YOUR 7TH GOING?

YESTERDAY-YESTERDAY I SAW TOMMY

PESHI REPLY AT PEPPY

“Here,” Pippi said triumphantly, “my letter says the same thing that you wrote to your grandmother, Tommy.” So this is a real letter. I will remember every word for the rest of my life.

Pippi carefully folded the letter, put it back in the envelope, and put the envelope in one of the countless drawers of the old large secretary that stood in her living room. One of the most interesting things in the world, according to Tommy and Annika, was to look at the treasures that Pippi kept in these boxes. From time to time, Pippi gave her friends some of these priceless things, but their supply, apparently, never ran out.

In any case,” said Tommy when Pippi hid the letter, “you made a wild number of mistakes there.”

Yes, you should go to school and learn to write better,” Annika supported her brother.

No, thank you humbly,” Pippi answered, “I once spent the whole day at school.” And during that day, so much knowledge was crammed into me that I still can’t come to my senses.

“This is terrible,” Pippi exclaimed and bit her braid out of grief, “simply terrible!” And I can't go on a field trip with you just because I don't go to school? Is this fair? People think that they can offend a person just because he doesn’t go to school or doesn’t know the multiplication tables.

Multiplications,” Annika corrected.

And I say - multiplication.

We'll walk a mile. “Right through the forest, and then we’ll play in the clearing,” said Tommy.

Just awful! - Pippi repeated.

The next day the weather was so warm and the sun was shining so brightly that all the children in this town found it very difficult to sit at their desks. The teacher opened all the windows wide, and fresh spring air rushed into the classroom. In front of the school there was a large birch tree, and on its top sat a starling and sang so joyfully that Tommy, Annika, and all the children listened only to his singing and completely forgot that 9 x 9 = 81.

Suddenly Tommy jumped straight up in amazement.

Look, miss! - he exclaimed and pointed to the window. - There's Pippi.

Everyone's eyes immediately went to where Tommy pointed. And indeed, Pippi was sitting high on a birch tree. She found herself almost at the window, because the branches of the birch tree rested on the frames.

“Hello, Miss,” she shouted, “Hello, guys!”

“Good afternoon, dear Pippi,” answered the lady. - Do you need anything, Pippi?

Maybe you could come into our classroom for a minute? - asked the teacher.

No, pipes! - Pippi said firmly and sat down more comfortably on the branch, leaning her back against the trunk. - I feel dizzy in class. Your air is so thick with learning that you could cut it with a knife. Listen, miss,” there was hope in Pippi’s voice, “maybe a little of this learned air will fly out the window and hit me?” Exactly enough for you to allow me to go on an excursion with you?

“It’s quite possible,” said the lady and continued the arithmetic lesson.

The children were very interested in looking at Pippi sitting on the birch tree. After all, they all received candy and toys from her that day when she went shopping. Pippi, of course, as always, took Mr. Nilsson with her, and the guys died laughing as they watched him jump from branch to branch. In the end, the monkey got tired of jumping on the birch tree, and she jumped onto the windowsill, and from there, in one jump, she climbed onto Tommy’s head and began pulling his hair. But then the teacher told Tommy to take the monkey off his head, because Tommy just needed to divide 315 by 7, and this cannot be done if there is a monkey sitting on your head and pulling your hair. In any case, it interferes with the lesson. Spring sun, starling, and then Pippi and Mr. Nilsson - no, this is too much...

“You guys have become completely stupid,” said the teacher.

You know what, miss? - Pippi shouted from her tree. - To be honest, today is absolutely not suitable for reproduction.

“And we are going through division,” said the lady.

On a day like today, you can’t do any “enjoyment” at all, except maybe “fun.”

“Can you explain to me,” the teacher asked, “what kind of “fun” subject is this?

Well, I’m not that good at “fun,” Pippi answered embarrassedly and, catching her feet on a branch, hung upside down, so that her red braids almost touched the grass. - But I know one school where they don’t do anything other than “fun.” It’s written in the schedule: “All six lessons are fun lessons.”

“I see,” said the teacher. -Where is this school located?

“In Australia,” Pippi answered without hesitation, “in a village near the railway station.” On South.

She sat down on the branch again, and her eyes sparkled.

What happens during “fun” lessons? - the teacher asked.

“When it happens,” Pippi answered, “but most often the lesson begins with all the guys jumping through the window into the yard.” Then they burst into the school again with wild screams and jump on the desks until they are exhausted.

What does the teacher say? - the lady asked again.

She doesn’t say anything, she also jumps along with everyone else, but only worse than the others. When they no longer have the strength to jump, the children begin to fight, and the teacher stands nearby and encourages them. In rainy weather, all the children undress and run out into the yard - they jump and dance in the rain, and the teacher plays a march on the piano so that they jump to the beat. Many people even stand under the drainpipe to take a real shower.

Interesting,” said the teacher.

You know how interesting! - Pippi picked up. - This is such a wonderful school, one of the best in Australia. But it's very far from here.

“I guess,” said the teacher. - In any case, you will never have so much fun at our school.

That’s the whole problem,” Pippi said sadly. - If I could hope that we would run around the desks, I would probably take the plunge and go into the classroom for a minute.

Just at that moment the gate swung open and two uniformed policemen entered the garden.

- Ah! - Pippi exclaimed. -What a happy day! More than anything else in the world - after rhubarb cream, of course - I love police officers.

Shining with a happy smile, she moved towards the police.

– Are you the same girl who settled in this villa? – asked one of the policemen.

“But no,” answered Pippi. “I’m a wizened old lady and I live on the third floor in a mansion on the other side of the city.

Pippi answered this way because she wanted to joke. But the police did not find this joke funny, they sternly told her to stop fooling around, and then informed her that kind people had decided to give her a place in an orphanage.

“And I already live in an orphanage,” Pippi answered.

– What kind of nonsense are you talking about! - the policeman shouted. – Where is your orphanage?

“Oh, dear girl, you don’t understand this,” said another policeman and laughed. – You must go to a real orphanage where you will be raised.

– Can you take a horse with you to that orphanage?

- Of course not! - the policeman answered.

“That’s what I thought,” Pippi said gloomily. - Well, what about the monkey?

- And you can’t have a monkey. You understand this yourself.

- In that case, let others go to the orphanage, I’m not going there!

- But you have to go to school.

- Why should I go to school?

– To learn different things.

- What kind of things? – Pippi did not let up.

- Well, very different. All sorts of useful things. For example, learn the multiplication table.

“I’ve been doing well without this table of respect for nine whole years now,” Pippi answered, “which means I’ll continue to live without it.”

- Well, think about it, it will be unpleasant for you if you remain ignorant for the rest of your life! Imagine, you grow up big, and suddenly someone asks you the name of the capital of Portugal. And you won't be able to answer.

- Why can’t I answer? I’ll say this: “If it’s so important for you to know what the main city of Portugal is, then write directly to Portugal - the Portuguese will be happy to tell you the name of their capital.”

“And you won’t be ashamed that you couldn’t answer yourself?”

“Perhaps it will be,” said Pippi. – And I won’t fall asleep for a long time that evening, I’ll just lie there and remember: well, really, what is the name of the capital of Portugal? But I’ll soon be consoled,” here Pippi did a stand, walked on her hands and added: “Because I was in Lisbon with dad.”

Here the first policeman intervened in the conversation and said that Pippi should not imagine that she could do as she wanted - she was ordered to go to the orphanage and there was no need to talk in vain. And he went up to Pippi and grabbed her hand. But Pippi immediately broke free and, lightly slapping the policeman on the back, shouted:

- I insulted you! You should drive!

And before he had time to come to his senses, she jumped onto the balustrade of the terrace, and from there quickly climbed onto the second floor balcony.

The police did not at all want to climb up in this way. So they both rushed into the house and up the stairs. But when they found themselves on the balcony, Pippi was already sitting on the roof. She climbed the tiles with the agility of a monkey. In an instant, she found herself on the ridge of the roof, and from there she jumped onto the pipe.

The police sat on the balcony and scratched their heads in confusion.

Tommy and Annika were watching Pippi enthusiastically from the lawn.

- How fun it is to play tag! – Pippi shouted to the police. “How nice of you to come and play with me.” Today is my lucky day, that's for sure!

After thinking a little, the police went to get a ladder, leaned it against the wall of the house and, one after another, began to climb onto the roof. Slipping on the tiles and having difficulty balancing, they moved towards Pippi, but they looked very frightened.

- Be bolder! Be brave! - Pippi encouraged them. - It's not scary at all.

But when the police almost crawled to Pippi, she, bursting into cheerful laughter and even squealing with pleasure, jumped off the pipe and moved to another slope of the roof. On the other side, next to the house, there was a tree.

- Look, I'm falling! - Pippi shouted and, jumping from the ledge, hung on a branch, swaying on it, and then deftly slid down the trunk. Finding herself on the ground, Pippi ran around the house and set aside the ladder along which the police were climbing to the roof. The police got scared when Pippi jumped onto a tree. But they were simply horrified when they saw that the girl had carried away the ladder. Having become completely enraged, they shouted, threatened Pippi with terrible punishments and demanded that Pippi immediately put the ladder in place, otherwise they would talk to her in the wrong way.

- Why are you angry? – Pippi asked them reproachfully. “We’re playing tag, so why get angry in vain?”

The police were silent for a while, and finally one of them said embarrassedly:

“Listen, girl, be so kind as to put the ladder back so we can go down.”

“With pleasure,” Pippi answered and immediately set up the ladder. “And then we can, if you like, have some coffee and generally have fun together.”

But the police turned out to be treacherous people. As soon as they stepped on the ground, they rushed to Pippi, grabbed her and shouted:

“Now you’re caught, you bad girl!”

- I'm not playing with you anymore. “I don’t mess with those who cheat at the game,” Pippi answered and, taking both policemen by the belts, she dragged them out of the garden and into the street. There she released them, but they could not come to their senses for a long time.

- One minute! – Pippi shouted to them and rushed as fast as she could into the kitchen. Soon she reappeared, holding a bun in her hands. – Try it, please! True, they were a little burnt, but that doesn’t matter.

Then Pippi walked up to Tommy and Annika, who stood with their mouths open and just amazed. And the police rushed back to the city and told those who had sent them that Pippi was not suitable for the orphanage. The police, of course, concealed the fact that they were sitting on the roof. And the adults decided: if so, let this girl live as she wants. The main thing is that she goes to school, but otherwise she is free to manage herself.

As for Pippi, Tommy and Annika, they had a great rest of the day. First they finished their coffee, and Pippi, having successfully finished fourteen buns, said:

– Still, these were some fake policemen - they were chatting something about an orphanage, about a table of respect and about Lisbon...

Then Pippi took the horse out into the garden and the children began to ride.

True, Annika was initially afraid of the horse. But when she saw how merrily Tommy and Pippi were jumping around the garden, she also decided to try. Pippi deftly lifted her up, the horse trotted along the road, and Tommy sang at the top of his lungs:

The Swedes are rushing, roaring.

The fight will be hot!

In the evening, when Tommy and Annika were already lying in their beds, Tommy said:

– It’s so great that Pippi came here to live. Right, Annika?

- Well, of course, great!

– You know, I don’t even remember what we actually played before it.

– We played bowls, croquet or just ball. But with Pippi it’s much more fun!.. And then there’s a horse and a monkey! Right?

How Pippi goes to school

Of course, both Tommy and Annika went to school. Every morning at exactly eight, they, holding hands, with textbooks in their bags, set off on the road.

It was at this hour that Pippi most loved to ride a horse, or dress up Mr. Nilsson, or do exercises, which consisted of jumping on the spot forty-three times in a row without bending. Then Pippi sat down at the kitchen table and, in complete peace, drank a large cup of coffee and ate several cheese sandwiches.