A Calf for Christmas facts for kids
First edition (Swedish)
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| Author | Astrid Lindgren |
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| Original title | När Bäckhultarn for till stan |
| Illustrator | Marit Törnqvist |
| Country | Sweden |
| Language | Swedish |
| Publisher | Rabén & Sjögren |
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Publication date
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1951 |
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Published in English
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1992 |
A Calf for Christmas (original title: När Bäckhultarn for till stan) is a heartwarming children's book by the famous Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. It tells the story of a boy who wishes for a very special Christmas gift.
Contents
The Story of A Calf for Christmas
What Happens in the Book?
The story begins with a boy named Johann. He is very sad because his family's only cow, Embla, has died. Without Embla and her milk, Johann fears Christmas will be very gloomy.
Meanwhile, a rich farmer buys a young calf in town. On his way home, the farmer gets very tired and falls asleep on his carriage. His horse, knowing the way, continues the journey.
Suddenly, the farmer wakes up to a loud sound from the calf. He gets scared and thinks it might be something spooky. So, he quickly throws the calf out of the carriage and continues home.
Johann soon discovers the calf in the snow. He is incredibly happy! He believes this calf is a wonderful Christmas present sent to him. Johann wants to keep the calf, but his father insists they must find its owner.
Johann and his father learn that the calf belongs to the rich farmer. They visit him to return the animal. The farmer sees how much Johann cares for the calf. Because of this, he decides to give the calf to Johann. In return, Johann and his father promise not to tell how they found the calf. Johann is overjoyed; it's the best Christmas present ever!
Where Did the Idea Come From?
Astrid Lindgren based A Calf for Christmas on a real story. Her own father, Samuel August Ericsson, told her about it. He once helped a man put a calf into a bag to take it home on his carriage.
The man later became distracted and fell asleep on his way home. When he heard a loud noise from the calf, he got startled. He thought it was something strange and threw the calf off the wagon. This funny story was then told all over the village.
When Astrid's father met the man again, he playfully asked about the calf. The man realized Astrid's father knew the whole story. He simply replied that the calf had "made a long journey."
In Sweden, the story was first published in 1951. It was part of a book called En bil kommer lastad, with the story's original title being När Bäckhultarn for till stan. The book became very popular quickly, selling over 30,000 copies in just one month.
A Calf for Christmas has been translated into many different languages. These include English, German, and Dutch. The English edition of the book features beautiful illustrations by Marit Törnqvist.
