Quick Look
This edition if out of print but a new edition, called The Fearless Little Farm Boy, is available. Click on the cover in the carousel below.
- A charming story by Astrid Lindgren, acclaimed author of Pippi Longstocking.
- Full of exquisitely detailed illustrations of wooden houses and farming families, this book gives a vivid sense of springtime on a Swedish farm of long ago.
It's a sunny Easter Sunday in Sweden and the farmer's family are having breakfast, when suddenly their bull, Goran, breaks loose. Can anyone get him back under control? A delightful children's story from Astrid Lindgren.
Description
It's a beautiful, sunny Easter Sunday in Sweden. The farmer and his family are having breakfast before going to church and the farmworkers are going about their daily chores. But Goran the bull is angry. He breaks loose from his stall, and charges down the barn and out into the yard.
People gather from miles around to see the raging bull. But who will dare to cross Goran's path? Will he stay angry forever? Karl, a seven-year-old farm boy, has a plan. But can a very small boy tame a very big bull?
A delightful story by acclaimed author Astrid Lindgren. The exquisitely detailed illustrations of wooden houses, farming families in their Sunday best and groves of white birch trees give a vivid sense of springtime on a Swedish farm of long ago.
Reviews
'Children will delight in the story of how one Easter Day, Goran the bull broke free in an angry rampage only to be tamed by Karl, a seven-year-old boy.'
-- Creative Steps, Spring 2011.
'A low key story, in contrast to the lively style of many current picture books, Goran's Great Escape invites the reader in ('Let's find out what happened') and asks to be shared by child and adult... The watercolour illustrations have a cool Nordic feel, capturing a time and place that is past but not dated. The landscape format of the pages is well-used with events strung over double-page spreads in some instances and in others vignettes on the verso point to what is happening in a larger illustration on the recto. Delightful.'
-- Valerie Coghlan, Books for Keeps, March 2011
'The delightful illustrations make you feel as if you were actually there!'
-- Tammy Dolling, March 2011
'Illustrations, in translucent water based paints in earthly hues, are masterly.
'The design of the layout, with the necessity to integrate a long text with the images, is exemplary.'
-- Jane Doonan, School Librarian
'Lindgren's affection for Karl warms the tale of his heroism.'
-- Kirkus Review
'The charm and success of this traditional tale lie in Lindgren's masterful storytelling. Törnqvist's delicate, expressive watercolors accentuate the personalities of the farm folk and add suspense to Goran's plight. The artist's clever use of the endpapers to show a line of villagers looking apprehensively toward the story beckons readers just as effectively as Lindgren's words. The message that simple kindness is often an act of extraordinary bravery makes this a must for most collections.'
--School Library Journal Reviews, January 2012
Author
Astrid Lindgren is a Floris Books featured author. Read all about this author's life and work on our dedicated author page.
Astrid Lindgren (1907-2002) was born on a homestead in Småland, Sweden. Her most famous book, Pippi Longstocking, was published in 1945 to great success. She is also well known for Karlsson on the Roof, her books about The Bullerby Children and The Tomten. Her books are loved all over the world and have sold around 145 million copies. She won many awards, including the Lewis Carroll Shelf Award for Pippi Longstocking in 1973; the Hans Christian Andersen Award in 1958; and the International Book Award from UNESCO in 1993.
Marit Törnqvist was born in 1964 in Uppsala, Sweden and divides her time between the Netherlands and Sweden. She studied illustration at the Gerrit Rietveld Academie in Amsterdam. In 2011 she was awarded a Golden Plaque from the Biennial of Illustration Bratislava, one of the most prestigious children's illustration awards.
Links
Find out more about Astrid Lindgren and her world on our Astrid Lindgren Biography and Book Information page. Includes a most-loved book list.
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