Part 1
At the edge of a tiny Swedish town stands an old house with a wild, overgrown garden — Villa Villekulla. One day a most unusual new neighbor moves in: Pippi Longstocking, a nine-year-old girl with carrot-red braids that stick straight out, a patchwork dress, and one black and one brown stocking. She lives completely alone — no mother, no father — with only a little monkey called Mr. Nilsson and a horse she keeps on the porch. Her mother died when she was a baby, and her sea-captain father was swept overboard in a storm; Pippi is sure he floated to a faraway island and became its king. Next door live two well-behaved children, Tommy and Annika, who watch in amazement as Pippi walks backward down the street, spins wild tales about Egypt, fries pancakes while eggs fly, and hands out gifts from her big suitcase of gold coins. By bedtime — with her feet on the pillow — Pippi has turned two ordinary lives upside down.
| Section | What you will practice |
|---|---|
| Vocabulary | Words of character and travel: orphan, peculiar, voyage, hoist, astonished, companion… |
| Literary Elements | Characterization, hyperbole, and contrast |
| Cross-Curricular | Where Sweden is, what a villa is, and why gold coins once worked as money |
| Ch. | What happens |
|---|---|
| 1a | A New Neighbor — Pippi moves into Villa Villekulla alone with her monkey and her horse. |
| 1b | Her Story — her mother is gone and her sea-captain father was lost in a storm; Pippi believes he is a king on a faraway island. |
| 1c | Meeting Tommy and Annika — the children next door meet Pippi as she walks backward and spins tall tales. |
| 1d | Pancakes and Presents — wild cooking, gifts from a suitcase of gold coins, and a goodnight with feet on the pillow. |
ⓘ The vocabulary words in this list are selected to help you understand and complete this workbook. Some may not appear verbatim in the original novel.
- Tommy and Annika discover someone has moved in next door.
- Pippi arrives at Villa Villekulla with her monkey and horse.
- Pippi fries pancakes while eggs fly through the air.
- Pippi walks backward and explains her tall tales.
- Pippi says goodnight and sleeps with her feet on the pillow.
Think back over the chapter. Pippi arrives alone, carries her own suitcase of gold coins, cooks her own supper, and puts herself to bed — feet on the pillow, entirely satisfied. Next door, Tommy and Annika have everything Pippi lacks — parents, tidy clothes, proper manners — yet it is their lives that feel too quiet, and Pippi’s arrival that feels like a door swinging open.
On the edge of many European towns stands a kind of house called a villa — a roomy home that stands alone inside its own garden, rather than sharing walls with its neighbors. A hundred years ago, a villa on the outskirts of a small Swedish town would have had a wooden fence, fruit trees, and space for hens or even a horse. Because the house stood apart, a family — or one remarkable girl with a horse and a monkey for companions — could live there in almost complete freedom. Writers have long loved such houses. A villa with an overgrown garden is a perfect stage. It is private enough for secrets, big enough for adventures, and just close enough to town for curious neighbors to peek over the fence. When Astrid Lindgren (author) needed a home for a heroine with no parents and her own peculiar way of doing everything, an old villa at the edge of town was the natural choice.
This writing task is optional and is not part of your auto-graded score. The feedback below checks only the basics — length, spelling, and grammar — not whether your ideas are right or wrong. It is meant for classroom discussion and creative practice, so feel free to use your imagination!
Writing Task — Part 1 “My Own Villa Villekulla”
Imagine you woke up tomorrow in a house that was entirely yours, like Pippi’s Villa Villekulla. Describe one whole day there. What would you eat, what rules would you keep or break, and which animal would live with you? Write at least 40 words.
No right or wrong — close the screen and tell someone nearby what happened in this part. Can’t find anyone? Tell yourself out loud. The moment you teach it, you truly understand it.
Part 1 Complete!
You finished Chapter 1 of Pippi Longstocking.
Here are your auto-graded results:
The best last step is to teach it. In your own words, explain what happened — retell a favorite scene, teach a character’s big choice, or sum up the main idea for a parent, friend, or classmate. When you can teach it clearly, you truly own it.
Independent study guide by Garden Heights. Not affiliated with or endorsed by Astrid Lindgren. Contains original analysis only; no text from the novel is reproduced. Reference text: This workbook follows Astrid Lindgren’s classic text (the standard Puffin edition sold worldwide). Revised 2023 UK editions change some wording and may not match the vocabulary studied here.