Den vilda bebiresan

The Wild Baby

by Barbro Lindgren

While his mother cleans house, rambunctious baby Ben sets sail in a wooden box and has many adventures.

Genres: Picture Books, Fiction, Childrens, Adventure

27 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1983

About the author

Barbro Enskog was born in Bromma, Stockholm. She graduated from art school in 1958 and has been writing books for publication since 1965. Her style has exerted a major influence on Swedish children's literature. Located between realism and surrealism, her works are humorous and imaginative, and her books for children treat important issues to be taken seriously and treated for children.
Early in her career Barbro Lindgren won the 1973 Astrid Lindgren Prize, an annual Swedish literary award distinct from the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award. The once-in-a-lifetime award established on Astrid Lindgren's 60th birthday honours good writing for children or youth. Barbro Lindgren's long-time collaborator, the illustrator Eva Eriksson (born 1949), won the Prize in 2001.

Reviews

[Cheryl · Rating 3 out of 5]

I can definitely understand the high community rating, but I found the translated rhymes awkward, and some of the pictures were too detailed for my old eyes. Still, I appreciate Rolla's library for saving their old books so I can make discoveries like this! I wonder if they have the first Wild Baby book....

[Mary · Rating 5 out of 5]

I checked this book out of the library a gazillion times as a kid- it's awesome!

[Bonnie Lambourn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny, fun, great rhymes - super impressed this is a translation! Of course, Jack Prelutsky definitely knew his rhymes and meters. What a brilliant choice for a translator.

I also adore the art. Lovely colors, line with dynamic movement, unique ideas, and a distinctive main character who manages to appear both mischievous and sweet. - Yes, I am looking at an old battered and loved copy. New to me, and thankful my library her Lindgren's books. About to pick up the prior in the series.

It is simply a tale of a young child in make-believe play, with mom's consent, going off on a very real feeling journey from the kitchen, in a box, and back again... which becomes so engaging it helps us suspend disbelief.... with just the right end touch to make us wonder was it pretend or real.

With similarities of plot to Sendak's Where the Wild Things Were are obvious, except this mother does not banish or punish her child, merely is too busy cleaning to engage with him. Baby Ben is wild all the time, and she has to ignore some of his antics in order to get her work done. Baby Ben has no feelings of being wrong or a need to change throughout the entire story. Any concerns are expressed by animal friends. Ben is delightfully self-empowered to say yes to all things fun, and no when he does not want something, and to come back home simply because it is time... and be welcomed happily by mom home with all his crew sitting up at the table to eat.

So there is gleeful rollicking rhythm to this story, lots fun, a funny ending, warm feelings... a good story for any child, including that one who is very active.

[Christie Kaaland · Rating 4 out of 5]

While Mother works on hands and knees scrubbing the kitchen floor, Wild Baby takes his toy animals, hops aboard a custom "built" box-boat and sets off to sea. In a very "Where the Wild Things Are"-episodic storyline, Wild Baby sails off, has many adventures abroad, is the obvious bravest of them all, and when he gets hungry, he returns home to dinner.

While the classic Sendak theme is evident, the unique illustrations depict such a delightful original character, young readers will giggle and squeal at his antics while adult readers will be bemused by the mother's endless patience and love for her wild baby. The little guy is pictured with just a few tiny hairs on his head curling upward, baggy overalls, and a demeanor not too unlike the Yellow Kid, the very first U.S. syndicated comic strips. The pastels create a just the right homey comfort for the very youngest readers to feel the tension at the threats at sea but not enough to be scary.

Prelutsky's version of the Swedish title, one of the "Wild Baby" series, is indeed an Americanized version of the miscreant, Wild Baby, several subtle changes from the Swedish and English (England) versions. In the original version, Mama is whisked out of the drudgery of her housework to join Wild Baby at sea.

[Suvi · Rating 3 out of 5]

Harvoin osuu kirjaston lastenosaltolta nykyään näin vanhoja kirjoja käteen. Tässä oli nimittäin jäljellä takakannen sisäpuolella tasku eräpäivälapulle. Oi niitä aikoja, kun piti jokaisessa kirjassa olla fyysinen muistutus siitä, milloin se pitää palauttaa. Nostalgiaa... Tuntee olonsa suhteellisen vanhaksi, kun koittaa kertoa 2010-luvun lapsille, miten kirjasto toimi vielä pari vuosikymmentä sitten.

Rasavilli Piltti merelläon ihan hauska tarina lasten mielikuvituksen voimasta sekä energian määrästä. Enpä muista tähän omassa lapsuudessa törmänneeni. Runomuotoisen tekstin riimit löytyivät välillä vähän oudoista paikoista, joten oli vaikeaa rytmittää ääneenlukua.

[Anders Twetman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Jag hade egentligen inte tänkt lägga till några av de barnböcker jag läste som liten här på Goodreads. Jag har dock bestämt mig för att göra två undantag, denna samt Flodbåten för jag tyycker just dessa två är extra fina. Den vilda bebiresan är fantastiskt fantasifull bok om en liten bäbis som ger sig ut på en påhittad äventyrsresa. Bebin sitter väll egentligen bara på mattan och leker med sina gossedjur, men boken är skriven och illustrerad på ett sådant sätt att man som läsare får en inblick i bebins fantasi och kan tänka sig hur det är att leka at man är ute på äventyr. En riktigt bra bok att läsa tillsammans med ett litet barn, säg sådäer två eller tre år gammalt.

[Krister Ekeroth · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rating this it comes second to The wild baby gets a puppy. It all just comes down to how much laughter they drew and draw. The difference is hair thin.
Yet as I wrote in my other review Barbro Lindgren amazes me. How on this dwindling earth do you write to make a 1 year old laugh like maniac?
My daughter did... and I did. We still do...
This is art.

[Linn J · Rating 3 out of 5]

Mycket rim i denna bok. Vilket var trevligt att höra på i ljudboksformat. Än en gång tror jag att det är något trevligare att se illustrationerna men kan då tänka mig att denna bok är bra som högläsning för de små barnen. Barbro tänkte till bra där.

[Sara · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jag vet inte vad det var, men rimmet kändes inte lika finurligt som i den förra boken ... (kanske är det för att man rimmade "gömt" med "glömt" - vilket bara känns slött)

[Hj · Rating 5 out of 5]

love these books - over the years this is one of our "most read" books

[Marilyn · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great rhymes.

[Ren · Rating 5 out of 5]

Core memory from childhood

[Eva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Denna härligt vilda historia läste jag för dottern, när hon var bra så liten. Bilderna fungerade redan från allra minsta åldern.

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fun book of imagination as a little fellow imagines a wooden box is his ship and he and his stuffed animal friends are off to the high seas. Good illustrations by Eva Eriksson and the text was adapted from the Swedish by Jack Prelutsky.

[Gail · Rating 2 out of 5]

My two year old did not request this one. I didn't like the rhymes. Maybe for an older child.

[Karen Sherman-Nestor · Rating 5 out of 5]

My daughter who is all grown up and a teacher in Brooklyn loved this book. She was about 5 when it made its way to our home and the antics of baby Ben were a hit. We even quote it now.

[Guilherme Semionato · Rating 4 out of 5]

Such a special, endearing series. Barbro Lindgren's picture books are the bee's knees.