Another Kirkegaard book about bullying and grown usps who let it happen. But this time, the boys get back at the worse bully over and over again. His name is Gusten Frog-Swallower because according to rumours he once swallowed a frog.
The story-teller runs in to Gusten over and over again, and is threatened by him. This young man is not just bullying but he is phycially harming people in a really bad way, so the boys are petrified of him.
The first thing which happens is the story-teller picking dandelion leaves for his bunny and he gets caught doing so, in the blacksmith's garden. The latter thinking he is there to steal apples, decides to punish him and orders the boy to dig up worms for his hens. The boy is very unhappy till Gusten arrives and asks him what he is up to. The boy lies and tells him that he is digging up a treasure that the blacksmith has hidden there. Gusten "persuades" him to let Gusten dig it up instead and the boy happily disappears out of sight. Of course, when the blacksmith finds Gusten in a deep hole in his garden, he beats Gusten up.
Gusten is now on the search for the boy and finds him up a tree. But when Gusten climbs up there and out on the branch that the boys is sitting on, the branch bends down so far that the boy can jump off and run, while Gusten is shot straight over to a table, where the blacksmith is sitting having a pint of beer and of course he gets a beating again.
Finally Gusten catches up to the boy, ties him up and drags him to a deserted mill where he hoists him up over a beam, expecting him to finally fall down and break his neck. But Gusten has tied the rope around his own body, to make it easier to hoist the boy up, which gives the boy an idea. When he gets up to the beam, he climbs on to it, runs in through a window and drags out a sack of wheat. Holding on to the wheat bag, he jumps out which makes Gusten fling up towards the beam instead. The boy lets him sit there all day and then he goes to fetch the blacksmith, in the middle of his dinner, telling him that a big ugly crow is sitting on of the wings of the mill. The blacksmith gets furious when he gets there and finds Gusten AGAIN. He jerks at the rope so Gusten falls down and then beats Gusten.
A circus arrives to town and all the boys are excited about going. The boy sneeks on to the site and opens up a box saying PUSSI on it. A little dog, the star of the bicycling act, jumps out and runs off. The boy goes in search but the only dog he finds, is the blacksmith's dog, and he puts that one in the box instead, thinking that noone will notice the difference. Then he notices Gusten and tries to escape by crawling in to a tent. Gusten goes after him, and while the boy does not get caught by the half-naked woman in there, Gusten does! The boy sits and waits till the lady leaves and that is when he notices a yellow treasure chest. He finds all sorts of boring things in it, among other things, a striped suit jacket with a red ribbon in the sleeve. He pulls out the red ribbon and it is endless, turning in to all sorts of colours. He quickly puts it under his sweater and leaves. When he gets out, the cannon king sees him and asks him if he wants a freebie ticket? The condition is for him to guard the cannon while the king goes to have dinner. That is when Gusten comes and the boy has to think quickly. He tells Gusten to disappear since the cannon king will get angry if he sees him there. Gusten does not believe him but right then, a gigantic man steps out of a caravan. It is Mr Strong who lifts 700 kilos in the show. The boy tells Gusten that the owner will be furious if anyone comes close to the cannon and that Gusten has to hide inside the cannon quickly, which he does believing Mr Strong to be the owner. Gusten complains that there is somehing furry in there. The boy throws the ribbon in to the cannon as well, just to get rid of it.
The boy gets the VIP seat in the front. Things starting going wrong when the magician comes out and can not find his ribbon in the sleeve. He screams that there is a thief and the audience starts fighting among themselves, trying to locate the thief. Then the lady comes running saying that someone has stolen her dog. There is only one number left that actually can be carried out and the cannon is wheeled in but the cannon king can not climb inside. The blacksmith suggests that he should fire it off empty first, to get the dirt out, which must be blocking the way. And out flies the little dog, the ribbon and GUSTEN! Mr Strong grabs Gusten's arms while the blacksmith grabs his feet. Both want to beat him up for ruining things. But the cannon king stops them, since he has got an idea in to his head. He wants to retire and Gusten can be his re-placement. The next day the circus leaves and a proud Gusten with it. The boys feel all jealous since they are too young to join the circus like him.
A very funny book, but why does a society let people like Gusten walk about and frighten both young and old? Kirkegaard once again shows proof of having grown up being bullied and noone doing anything about it. And that leaves a bad taste in my mouth. Also the fact that almost all his books contain this aspect, makes it a less good book. I do not like reading books like this aloud to my children, since it makes it sound that there is nothing to do about bullies. That they always win. That all grown ups do not care or turn a blind eye to the suffering of children. Many of us are trying to stop bullying and do not accept this sort of behaviour. A book should give children hope, not the other way around.