The Red Bird/Sunnanäng
“Long ago, in the days of poverty, there were two little children who were left alone in the world”. So begins the story of Anna and Matthew, tow orphaned children who find themselves working for a ruthless farmer in order to put food in their belly. One day, during a harsh winter, a red bird appears before them, leading them with its song into a magical land of spring. “All the loveliness of spring burst over them in one exultant instant: A thousand little birds sang, rejoicing in the trees; all the spring rivulets gurgled, all the spring flowers sparkled, and children were playing in a meadow as green as the fields of paradise.”
The Red Bird was initially included in a collection of stories published with the same title in 1956. This illustrated edition, with illustrations by Marit Törnqvist, was published in 2003.
Astrid Lindgren
Marit Törnqvist
