My Swedish Cousins facts for kids

My Swedish Cousins (original title: Mina svenska kusiner) is a cool book by the famous Swedish writer Astrid Lindgren. It has awesome photos by Anna Riwkin-Brick. This book first came out in 1959, published by Rabén & Sjögren. It's a story that helps kids learn about different parts of Sweden through the eyes of a boy named Bjorn and his many cousins.

What's the Story About?

The book follows a boy named Bjorn who lives in a beautiful part of Sweden called Dalarna. Bjorn thinks Dalarna is the whole country! But he soon learns that Sweden is much bigger. This happens as his grandmother reads him letters from all his cousins living in different places.

Bjorn's Home in Dalarna

Bjorn lives in Dalarna. He believes Dalarna is all of Sweden. His grandmother gets many letters from her grandchildren. She reads these letters to Bjorn. This helps him learn about other parts of Sweden.

Maria and Anders in Skåne

Maria and Anders live in Skåne, a region in southern Sweden. They write to their grandmother from school. They tell her about Maria's trouble sitting still in class. After school, the siblings ride their bikes home. Then they enjoy riding a horse.

Sigrid by the Sea

Sigrid lives in a fishing village on Sweden's west coast. It is right by the sea. She writes to her grandmother about her school trip to Gothenburg. On this trip, she saw a huge ship. It was bigger than a house! In her own village, the boats are small. They are often used for fishing and sailing. Sigrid also writes that she always goes to school by boat. This is because her school is on an island. On the way back, she can even do her homework on the boat.

Johan and Eva in Stockholm

Johan and Eva live in Stockholm, the capital city of Sweden. Johan tells his grandmother that the cat Pio is doing well. His grandmother gave Pio to Eva. He also says that his sister Eva showed Pio around the city. However, Johan thinks Pio is not interested in city life. He believes Pio is a country cat. Johan thinks Pio would rather go back to the countryside. But other than that, Pio is fine.

Gunnar in the Mountains

Gunnar lives in a mountain village in Norrland, a northern part of Sweden. There are many mountains, forests, and lakes there. In winter, there is a lot of snow. He writes that he loves to go skiing when it's snowy.

Cousins Visit Bjorn

Bjorn's cousins visit his grandmother in the spring. The children all play together. When his cousins leave, Bjorn feels sad. But his grandmother comforts him. She tells him his cousins will come back in 360 days for another visit.

About the Book

My Swedish Cousins is the fourth book in a series called Children's Everywhere. There are 15 books in this series. It was first published in 1959 by Rabén & Sjögren. The original Swedish title is Mina svenska kusiner.

This book was created to show children what life is like in different parts of Sweden. In the German version of the book, the boy is named Lasse. But in the original Swedish and the English translation, he is called Bjorn.

The book has been translated into many languages. These include English, German, and Hebrew. In Israel, the series Children of our Earth (which includes My Swedish Cousins) was very popular. This was thanks to the translations by the poet Leah Goldberg.

Bjorn and his grandmother wear special traditional clothes. These clothes are typical of the Dalarna province where they live.

Different Versions of the Book

Here are some of the different versions of the book that have been published:

• Mina svenska kusiner, Rabén & Sjögren, 1959, Swedish Edition
• My Swedish Cousins, The Macmillan Company, 1959, US-american Edition
• Lasse aus Dalarna, Oetinger Verlag, 1959, German Edition
• Lasse fra Dalarna, Gad, Nord. rotogr., 1961, Danish Edition