Pippi Longstocking

Annika and Tommy start telling Pippi about how nice their teacher is and how great it is to have summer and Christmas vacations. Their hope is to convince Pippi to attend school with them so they may have even more fun. When Pippi hears about Christmas vacation, she stands up with a start, feeling robbed of something that sounds so amazing. She decides to go to school, if only so she can experience Christmas vacation. At the school, the teacher does her best to accommodate and welcome Pippi. She tries quizzing her on arithmetic first, but Pippi doesn’t understand and finds it silly. The teacher’s attempts to show her letters only inspire Pippi to tell a story of a time she fought a snake in India. The teacher tries a drawing activity next, but Pippi decides to draw a life-size horse on the floor. An illustration shows the horse drawing taking up half the room as Pippi works and the other children watch.

When the teacher suggests singing, Pippi declines, noting, “Too much learning breaks even the healthiest” (56). The teacher decides to send the other students outside and talk to Pippi alone, and Pippi declares that she has no need for school.