Mio, My Son facts for kids
First edition
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| Author | Astrid Lindgren |
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| Original title | Mio, min Mio |
| Illustrator | Ilon Wikland |
| Country | Sweden |
| Language | Swedish |
| Genre | Children's literature Fantasy |
| Publisher | Rabén & Sjögren |
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Publication date
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1954 |
| Awards | Deutschen Jugendbuchpreis of 1956 |
Mio, My Son is a classic children's book written by the famous Swedish author Astrid Lindgren. It was first published in 1954 in Sweden, and its original Swedish title is Mio, min Mio. The story feels a lot like old fairy tales and folklore, with beautiful writing. It even won an award in Germany, the Deutschen Jugendbuchpreis, in 1956.
Contents
The Story of Mio
The book begins by introducing a young boy named Bo Vilhelm Olsson, who everyone calls "Bosse." Bosse lives with an older couple who adopted him. Sadly, they are not very kind to him and often tell him to stay out of their way.
One day, a friendly shopkeeper, Mrs. Lundin, gives Bosse an apple. She also asks him to mail a postcard for her. Before mailing it, Bosse takes a quick look at the postcard. It is addressed to a king and says that his son will soon come home. The king's son will be recognized by a special golden apple. As Bosse looks at the apple Mrs. Lundin gave him, it suddenly turns into gold!
Soon after, Bosse discovers a bottle with a genie trapped inside. When he frees the genie, it immediately recognizes the golden apple. The genie then takes Bosse on an amazing journey to a faraway world.
A New World
When Bosse arrives in this new land, he learns his real name is Mio. He discovers that he is the son of the king and the true prince of this magical place. Mio quickly makes a new best friend, a boy named Jum-Jum. His father, the King, gives him a wonderful horse named Miramis.
However, Mio soon finds out that this new world is not entirely perfect. In the lands beyond the king's kingdom lives a very evil knight called Kato. Kato's hatred is so strong that the land around his castle is dry and burned. He has also kidnapped many children from nearby villages, and he is a constant danger to everyone.
Facing Danger
Mio is told that it is his destiny to fight Kato, even though he is just a child. Stories from thousands of years ago have foretold his coming. So, together with his best friend Jum-Jum and his horse Miramis, Mio bravely sets off on a dangerous journey into Kato's dark land.
In the American version of the book, Mio is first called Karl Anders Nilsson, and his nickname is Andy. Jum-Jum's name is Pompoo in that version.
Important Ideas in the Book
This story has several important messages. One big idea is that friendship gives you strength to get through tough times. It shows how having a good friend can help you face challenges.
Another theme is that sometimes you need to leave a safe place and take risks. You might have to do this for a bigger, more important reason. The book also suggests that evil often comes from unhappiness. This means that people who do bad things might be unhappy themselves.
The Movie Version
In 1987, Mio, My Son was made into a movie called Mio in the Land of Faraway. The film was shot in English. It was also dubbed into Swedish and Russian.
The movie starred Nicholas Pickard as Mio and Christian Bale as Jum-Jum. The famous actor Christopher Lee played the evil Kato, and Timothy Bottoms played the King. The film's director was Vladimir Grammatikov.
See also
In Spanish: Mio, min Mio para niños
