Last week I had the pleasure of attending the Children’s Book Guild of Washington, D.C. celebration of Astrid Lindgren’s 100th birthday at the House of Sweden. In the U.S., we know Astrid Lindgren as the author of the fun and adventurous Pippy Longstocking books. In Sweden, she is the most famous and influential author of children’s literature, writing more than 50 books, including a detective series, fairy tales and even a collection of songs.

Over the years she received many prestigious awards for her fiction including the Hans Christian Andersen Medal. She’s also recognized for her concern for humanity, winning the 1978 Peace Prize of the German Book Trade. After the author’s death in 2002, the Swedish government created the Astrid Lindgren Memorial Award to keep Astrid Lindgren and her life’s work alive as it inspires the development of outstanding children’s literature.

There’s even a “play park” called Astrid Lindgren’s World, where her storybook settings and characters create a magical land of make-believe and entertainment. The park is in Vimmerby, Sweden and is open from May to September.

I had anticipated the celebration to be a reception-style evening but was pleasantly surprised with a full Swedish dinner and a lovely program of speakers and music. The speakers included Katherine Paterson, author of Bridge to Terabithia and recipient of the 2006 Astrid Lindgren Memorial award; Johanna Hurwitz, author of Astrid Lindgren: Storyteller to the World; and Ulf Stark, another award-winning Swedish children’s author.

Mr. Stark’s hilarious tales of his childhood imagination had my friends and I googling to find his books the next morning. Not a lot of his work is available in English print but we’re purchasing everything we can find. This led us to a fun website Gecko Press, Curiously good children’s books from around the world.

Thank you to the Children’s Book Guild of Washington, D.C. for the invitation to this wonderful celebration. A set of Pippy Longstocking books has been added to my Christmas wish list and I’m hoping a trip to Vimmerby, Sweden is in my future!