Indeed and truly, the Noisy Village series (actually the German language translations of Astrid Lindgren's original Swedish text, and where the hamlet is known as Bullerbü) was one of my absolute favourites when I was a little girl (and I must have read all three books at least ten times, and that is at best a rather conservative estimate). And at that age (from about the age of seven to ten) I just felt and knew on a purely emotional and personal level that I absolutely adored the sweet and enchanting episodical nuggets of a generally carefree childhood in a turn of the century Swedish village (actually, even less than a village, but really just three interconnected farms). But now, after recently rereading this here omnibus of all of the Bullerbü stories (and for the first time in decades), I can absolutely and totally appreciate and understand both emotionally and academically, stylistically, how simply wonderful the first-person narrative of seven year old Lisa really is, as Astrid Lindgren has so perfectly captured the innocent, but also astute voice of an imaginative and observant child (Lisa shines, and from her, emanates a magic that makes everything in Bullerbü sparkle with sweetness and light).
However, although Die Kinder aus Bullerbü (and yes, in the English translations, Bullerbü is indeed known as Noisy Village) thus still remains and will always remain a total personal favourite, I am also by no means blind and deaf to the fact that there are also some need to be discussed issues and potential problems with Die Kinder aus Bullerbü, such as for example the rather unfortunate and salient fact that the children of Bullerbü, and especially the three boys, are constantly and joyfully playing Indian (a tendency of especially older adventure and nostalgia based children's literature which is often and with much justification regarded as profoundly anathema by many Native Americans and Canadians). And while even as a child, these episodes always did feel mildly uncomfortable, they also did not bother me all that much either, but they certainly do quite massively grate and chafe now. Now I do realise that these stories, that these anecdotal episodes were all written in the 1940s (and that the concept of playing Cowboys and Indians was a common and accepted trend and theme in European children's literature, and is actually still much more commonplace and accepted than in North America), but I do still cringe a bit and even feel a trifle guilty.
And yes, if were in this day and age reading the Bullerbü series with or to children, I would most definitely be discussing this (to me important) scenario, especially with regard to that one scene in Die Kinder aus Bullerbü where the children are pretending that the family cows are an opposing Native American tribe (as that does really feel insulting to Native Americans and Canadians). However, and for me happily and appreciatively, at least in the German translations, these episodes have all been retained, to be discussed as necessary, unlike in the American "Noisy Village" translations, where they have seemingly been redacted altogether, understandable perhaps, but also both unfortunate and even rather unacceptable, as for one, these episodes are an integral part of the original plot and storyline and as already briefly pointed out, for two, also lead themselves very well to discussions and considerstions as to what constitutes so called political correctness (and whether inclusiveness and cultural understanding could even be achieved by simply removing, expurging words, scenes, themes now deemed possibly or probably offensive from older and more dated children's books, as really, removing such content could actually and easily be painting, showing an erroneous portrait of the past, of the world when the given book, in this case, the Bullerbü trilogy, was first published). And gosh, just having reread the trilogy for the Fiction Group has been in every way as magical and a lovely way of spending some time comfort reading.