Very Tricky Alfie Atkins

Alfons Åberg #2

by Gunilla Bergström, Elisabeth Kallick Dyssegaard (Translator)

An irrresistable father-and-son team!

Alfie likes it when grownups play with him, especially Daddy.
And he loves his daddy's toolbox, which he rarely gets to
borrow. Fortunately, today Daddy wants to read the newspaper,
which means Alfie can play with the tools, except for the saw.
Alfie builds and builds, but eventually he needs Daddy's help
- and the saw.

Genres: Picture Books, Childrens, Fiction, Swedish Literature, Classics, Adventure, Sweden

27 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1973

Reviews

[Manny]

This is one of the most popular Swedish children's stories of all time. Alfons, about five, wants to play with Dad's toolbox, but Dad just sits and reads the newspaper. Every now and then, without listening to a word of what Alfons is saying, he reminds him that he's not allowed to use the saw. Alfons, who's got plenty of common sense, doesn't use the saw. But he's good with a hammer, and even though he hits his thumb a couple of times he builds the thing you can see on the front cover. When Dad finally puts down his paper, he's amazed! He asks Alfons what it is. "It's a helicopter," says Alfons proudly.

When my kids were about the same age, they also wanted one, and since they weren't as handy as Alfons I had to make it for them. (I am very doubtful that a real five-year-old could do it unaided, particularly without using a saw). A few weeks later, a Swedish friend came by to visit.

"What's that?" I asked, pointing at the random-looking boxy wooden framework.

"It's Alfons's helicopter!" she replied, without even stopping to think. She also had small children.

[Abigail]

"When daddies want to be left in peace, they don't pay too much attention to what you do," observes the ironic narrator of Very Tricky, Alfie Atkins, and sure enough, when Daddy wants to read the newspaper, five-year-old Alfie Atkins manages to finagle permission to play with his tool-box. Except for the saw, of course! And so begins a hilarious little drama, in which Alfie constructs a "helicopter" for himself under the nose of his inattentive father, who is eventually persuaded to join in the fun!

Young readers will relish the juxtaposition of Daddy's absent-minded prohibitions against using the saw with Alfie's various mishaps, and adults will appreciate the fact that even loving parents don't always pay attention when they should. My second Alfie book, following on Good Night, Alfie Atkins , this gives me a better sense of Bergström's quirky sense of humor. I continue to find her 1970s-style illustrations unappealing, but the narrative is entertaining enough to compensate for them. An engaging picture-book for younger children, it is especially welcome because it concentrates on a healthy, loving father-son relationship, something the genre could use more of, I think.

[SwedishGeekGirl]

Cute!
Very tricky, Alfie Atkins get a 6.7/10 stars.

[Izabelle]

Gunilla Bergström fångar barnets perspektiv så bra. Den här gången vill pappa vara ifred och läsa tidningen, inte alls leka med Alfons. Då är det en jättebra idé att fråga om Alfons får låna verktygslådan. Pappa mumlar ett distraherat ja. Alfons får snickra OM han inte använder sågen...

Alfons rör inte sågen, men många andra verktyg. Tillslut har han byggt sig en helikopter. Men nu sitter han kanske fast...

[anna ✩]

had to translate this for a class and well it counts as a book so here we are 😂

[Truls Ljungström]

Sonen var tidvis distraherad men kombinationen av ljudupprepningar och bilder höll till stora delar hans intresse.

[Tú]

"När pappor vill vara ifred bryr de sig inte om så noga vad man gör" :-)

[Bahman Bahman]

در ایران، مجموعه تلویزیونی انیمهٔ الفی اتکینز، از کارتون‌های پرطرفدار دههٔ ۶۰ بود. ۸ جلد از کتاب‌های الفی اتکینز نیز به فارسی ترجمه شده‌است. ۴ جلد نخست از سوی انتشارات «هنرسرای اندیشه» در سال ۱۳۸۸ منتشر شد. در سال ۱۳۹۰ امتیاز چاپ مجدد این ۴ جلد و سایر کتاب‌های این مجموعه به نشر «آفرینشگر» واگذار شد. «شب بخیر الفی اتکینز»، «الفی اتکینز و دوست خیالی‌اش»، «تو ترسویی الفی اتکینز؟»، «بابایت چکار می‌کند الفی اتکینز؟»، «چه کسی الفی را نجات می‌دهد؟»، «خیلی زرنگی الفی اتکینز!»، «خوشحال باش الفی اتکینز!» و «زود باش الفی اتکینز!» عنوان ۸ کتابی‌ست که با ترجمهٔ علی توکلی و نیلوفر انواری تاکنون به فارسی منتشر شده‌است.

[Agris Fakingsons]

..dullais Alfons. :)

[Emm]

One of my absolute favorite books for kids. I bought it in English for my host children here in California, and my brother has it in Swedish back home too. Alfie Atkins (or Alfons Åberg) is just simply the best and my absolute favorite to read to kids.

[Madeleine Knutsson]

Läst till 1LI100 Barn­ och ungdomslitteratur, 30 högskolepoäng

[madziar]

W takie dni, kiedy tata Alberta chce w spokoju poczytać gazetę, pozwala mu skorzystać ze swojej skrzynki z narzędziami. Oczywiście Albert jeszcze bardziej od zabawy we zbijanie gwoździ w deski uwielbia zabawy z tatą, więc pewnego wieczoru wpada na sprytny plan - buduje helikopter ze sobą, jako pasażerem, zabudowanym w środku...

[Rose Rosetree]

Forbidden fruit is tasty.

So is the thought, for Alfie Atkins, of playing with Daddy's saw. Clever concept for a story, and yes, Alfie definitely earns his epithet of "Very Tricky."

Ultimately the tricky ending works out fine, not that I'm going to do a spoiler here. No no.

My self-imposed job is to rate-and-review. So I'll just add FIVE STARS.

[Martin Bensch]

Älskar att läsa den här dunderklassikern för barnen. Om jag försöker härma Björn Gustafsson i den filmade versionen? Har påven en löjlig mössa?

[Fritzov]

Funny as always. True classic

[Kirsikka71]

Om fantasins kraft och lyckan när pappa leker.

[Elin Thurhagen]

Min och Hugos favoritbok som barn

[Elisabeth Heinsalu]

Mycket bra!

[Markschliesing]

I love Gunnilla Bergström, but this book basically teaches children that they need to lie if they want to get their parent's attention.

[Emily]

Sort of read to Rose, who fell asleep halfway through (not a commentary on the funny book).

[lokalna gienia]

Zbijam pionę ze starym Alberta, bo również należę do klubu osób przerobionych przez małe dziecko, które czegoś chciało 🫡

[Magdalena]

Kul läsning med barnen.

[Martin Roslund]

Alfons är en klassiker, rolig att läsa för sitt barn. Speciellt när man själv fick höra dessa när man växte upp.

[Linda (bythebellbooks)]

Grāmatiņa par to, cik ļoti bērnam patīk un ir svarīgi, ka tētis (vecāki) ar viņu paspēlējas ;-)
Maniem bērniem ļoti patika šī grāmatiņa - meklēsim arī vai citas autores grāmatas ir iztulkotas latviski.