Eight children and a truck read. Anne-Katrina Westly: Dad, Mom, Grandma, Eight Children and a Truck

We continue to dive into the world of Anne-Katherine Westly!
No matter how beautiful the pictures in the book are, I want to see how it all looked for real.
Let me copy and paste from here. But the words seem to be straight mine. You could just give a link, but the pictures there are inconveniently located, each one needs to be enlarged. In general, I'm doing the typesetting and consider that you have followed the link :)

" I unexpectedly and irrevocably discovered Westly. It turned out to be very my... And when my, then I will definitely reinforce the book impression with all sorts of visualizations (illustrations, photographs, films). With "8 Children" I was especially lucky, because the visualization of this book, in my opinion, took place in ideal (unique) conditions: in the writer's home country and the place of action, with the director - the writer's husband (that is, Johan Westley) and with a writer in one of the main roles.

Norwegian filmMormor * og de åtte ungene i byen (1977) did not come out in Russian (and in English, it seems, too). But this does not interfere with the picture. And there is something to see!I wanted to bring here movie illustrations to the events from the book for two reasons. Firstly, I could not imagine such a truck that it was a member of the family. And in the film, he turned out to be him. Secondly, I love it when everything is for real. And so, well, I just can’t resist!

Dad, mom and eight children lived in a tall stone house in the very center of a huge city ...

Maren loved to dance, Martin to jump, Martha to run, Mads to bang, Mona to sing, Millie to beat the drum, Mina to scream, and Little Morten to bang on the floor with anything. In short, you can imagine that their house was not very quiet.

In search of a stolen truck.
Mads walked around the truck from all directions.
- And his face is just like ours. Do you think it's worth taking a look into the cockpit?

Grandma arrives.
The next day, the whole family went to the train station in a truck. They went out onto the platform, lined up and waited. Each had a poster around his neck.

Perhaps you also did not have to sleep on the table in the kitchen? In any case, my grandmother slept so well that she immediately decided to live with her father, mother and eight children for a whole week. You, of course, guessed that everyone was very happy about this.
That evening, eleven basins of dirty linen were lined up on the floor because the kitchen table was busy.

Millie and Mona pulled their grandmother with them, but when they reached the middle of the pavement, grandmother stopped and shouted:
- Oh, I'm afraid!
- Well, grandma, well, dear, you can't stand here. Let's go quickly! Let's run, there is the car!
- Oh, she's going straight for us! - the grandmother was frightened, but did not move.
She just closed her eyes and waited to be crushed.
But the driver saw an old woman and two little girls in the car. He stopped the car and blew the horn.
- What are you, grandmother, petrified, or what? He shouted.
“Sort of,” replied the grandmother, again took Mona and Millie's hands and finally crossed the street.

So they arrived at the tram stop. There were several people, all waiting for the tram. Grandma nodded to them and smiled:
- Is that how you want to ride the tram too?
At first, everyone looked at grandmother in surprise, but then they also nodded to her. The grandmother looked so kind and homely in her white kerchief that it would be rather stupid to stand with a sour expression and not answer her greeting.
A tram came up.

Grandma could have driven like this all day, but eventually the tram stopped and all the passengers got off.
“The tram won't go further, you have to get off,” Mona said.
- Well, let's go, - grandmother sighed.

Grandma is trying to hitchhike home.
Another truck followed. This time, the grandmother no longer went to the very edge of the road, but waved her hand, sticking out her thumb. The driver simply could not help but stop.
- What happened, grandma? - he asked.
- Yes, you see, I vote here, - answered the grandmother.
- Oh, well, sit down, please, only I'm not far.
- Well, thanks for that.

“We've got beds,” gasped Mona. - Is that for us? Yes, Henrik? Are we going to sleep on them? Each in his own?
In less than a second, the children each climbed onto their own bed, and until the end of the day, mother could not get them out of there by any means.

Henrik and Lower Hulda.

There is also a second film -“Grandma and Eight Children in the Forest” (Mormor og de åtte ungene i skogen, 1979).
However, as far as I understood from the picture, it is very far from the book. Although all the main characters are in place.

Truck.

Samovar Pipe.

House in the woods.

A small house with a heart carved on its door.

Skis and skiers.

And, of course, Anne-Kat. as Grandmother. "(end of quote)

In 2013, the third film was released — Mormor og de åtte ungene (Grandmother and eight children).
This footage appears to be from there.

* And how wonderful for the Russian ear the Norwegian name of the grandmother sounds - "Mur-mur"!

Nice article about Anna Westley -

It all started in preschool childhood with that thin pink and white booklet. Was one of my favorites. And what a joy it was to find in the library a plump striped book with a familiar family! I took it to reread it several times (I often did this). But by now I could only remember that the children were all sleeping in the same room on mattresses, and the truck was stolen from them, but then they found it. What is not a reason to reread;)
It turns out that this book was a copy of the original edition in Norwegian (again Norwegians, yeah!), And the drawings for it were made by Johan Westli, Anna's husband. So they are the most correct, like this:

And if you have eaten at least once in a forest in a clearing, having previously bathed, then you know how delicious everything seems.

But this time I came across a version with color illustrations. And they are so cool! And there were so many other adventures besides the truck!
(Full of delight, 10-ka unambiguously).

And they are so independent, these Norwegians, they will never shift their problems onto other people's shoulders. Granny has no money for the way back - she will hitchhike :)

And kind. The unfortunate intruder who hijacked the truck will very soon become a friend of the family and Dad's work partner. He so wanted to drive the truck :)

And they (not enough for them eight in the shops and grandmothers in addition!) Will acquire a dachshund named Samovar pipe.

And in the end they will move from a cramped apartment to a more spacious dwelling - a house in the forest. (Although this is another story.) And Grandma will be able to leave the nursing home where she has lived until now (after all, you cannot burden anyone with your problems) and live with everyone in your own room. And when she came to visit, she had to sleep on the kitchen table.

Morten smiled happily and ran into the yard so that no one could see how happy he was.

For some reason, “Children in the Woods” in the color book was just the beginning. So I had to finish reading in this version.

Pictures are funny too. Strange, the one on the left of the picture does not seem to be from there. Perhaps Johan Westley's drawing came across, I don't know.

In order not to get confused, there were seven books about this family in total (eh, why weren't there in my childhood ?!):
1. Dad, Mom, Grandma, Eight Children and a Truck
2. Dad, mom, grandmother and eight children in the forest
3. Holidays in the barn
4. Anton's little gift
5. Grandma's road
6. Dad, mom, grandmother, eight children in Denmark
7. Morten, grandmother and Whirlwind.

I especially liked about Denmark.
Here are the crazy Norwegians, they will be even cleaner than us - to embark on a trip abroad on bicycles. ! Sleep in a storm on the open deck of the ferry! There are also some continuous crossings, we swam, we know :)) Spend the night in the open air, without a tent! And, most importantly, to transport Grandma and two younger children in a stroller from the hippodrome! Although ... these three are no strangers. On a "barn vacation" they went for a drive in a box in a box (picture above). And everyone else is on skis :))

Fortunately, they did not spend every night in the open air (especially after they were once soaked to the skin in the pouring rain), and stopped at inexpensive youth hostels. Most of all impressions were probably left with my grandmother. She was eager to tell her friends who stayed in the nursing home about everything. And she also has a new friend - black woman Rosa. She did not speak Norwegian, but they understood each other perfectly anyway. This is how it was:

Early the next morning, Dad drove into town and bought two large sketchbooks. He bought some pencils just in case. He gave one album with a pencil to his grandmother, and the other to Rose, and the two went to the beech forest together. And dad, mom and older children rode their bicycles for a walk.
...
Grandmother sat down next to Rosa, both took their albums and began to paint. They did not utter a word, only glanced from time to time at each other's drawings. Neither give nor take two artists for sketches. Sometimes they thought and looked around. But they painted not at all what was before their eyes. At first it seemed that they were looking deeply into themselves and looking for something long hidden and forgotten there. Then they began to draw quickly. This went on until lunchtime.
At lunch they took a short break, and after that they got down to business again. By evening, both albums were filled with drawings. Then they exchanged their albums. Grandma and the children sat for a long time and leafed through Rose's large album, and when dad, mom and older children returned home, Millie said:
- Now I know how Rose lived since childhood.

I really, really liked the theme of drawing. Here's another:

He pulled out the bag, and it turned out that there were again sketchbooks in it. Dad gave everyone an album and said:
- Draw the animals that you like the most. In winter, you will be pleased to look at your drawings. Now let's decide where we go first. Here children should not walk alone, I must see you all the time.
...
“Yes, yes,” my grandmother muttered. She drew something in her sketchbook. After painting with Rosa, she enjoyed the activity and now she was drawing a lion. And when the children saw whom the grandmother was drawing, they also grabbed their albums and began to draw. The whole family sat on the grass and painted lions and other animals.

The last book about how grandmother and Morten made a horse out of a barrel and, in general, in every possible way they were odd, is also wonderful. Like the whole series. It is interesting to watch how "little Morten" evolves throughout the entire series and in this, the last, book is already playing the main role.

And at the very end he finds a whole crowd of peer friends!

It is a pity that nothing more is known about these children. I love sequel stories.

Anne-Katrina Westly is one of Norway's most famous children's writers, often compared to Astrid Lindgren's. For fifty years of creative work, she has written 56 books, which have been translated into 16 languages. The writer told her stories herself in a cycle of children's radio programs, and then they were published in book format. Several generations of Norwegian children have grown up with her books. The most popular are stories from the life of a simple Norwegian family, in which dad works as a chauffeur and mom is a housewife. There were as many as nine books. Of course, this family is not ordinary at all. And not only because there are eight children in it, but also because their daily life appears before young readers as an exciting adventure.

The story "Dad, Mom, Grandma, Eight Children and a Truck" was first published in 1957 and has been reprinted many times since then. In our country - already three times over the past five years.

The action takes place in the Norwegian capital Oslo, in an era that is rather difficult for a modern city child to imagine - at that time there were no televisions, no computers, or even washing machines. The heroes of the story live a truly difficult life. Try to fit ten of us in a one-room apartment in the center of Oslo, and even with a dog. Try to heat the stove twice every day so that it is not cold, wash in the kitchen in the trough, always wear your elders' clothes and sleep on a mattress on the floor. Try to do your homework properly when Morten wants to hammer, Maren wants to dance, Mona to sing, Mina to scream, and Millie wants to drum. From our time, filled with all sorts of conveniences and adaptations, all this seems completely unthinkable. It is impossible to be happy in such conditions. But we immediately, from the first pages of the book, feel how happy this family is. Nobody complains about difficulties, but together they are looking for a way out. And sooner or later there is a way out. For example, a grandmother comes to visit from the village. And where, one wonders, will she be accommodated, if there are already so many people living in this small apartment? But dad, mom and eight children love their grandmother so much that it's not a problem for them. And for my grandmother too. Just think, you can sleep on the table, it's even interesting. The main thing is that they are together again.

One Christmas day, Mona was terribly angry with Morten, who ruined her gift for her mother - an embroidered napkin. She was ready to immediately tear Morten to pieces, but dad offered her a completely unexpected way out - to run a few laps around the block.
“Dad looked at Mona.
Of course, this is very bad, ”he said. - But the worst thing is that we have so little space. There is nowhere even to get angry here.
- How is it - nowhere? Mona was surprised. - Do I need more space for the angry than not for the angry?
“Undoubtedly,” Dad replied. - For example, when I get angry, I run away from home and run around our block several times. The angrier I get, the more I run ...
- And I'll try! Mona exclaimed. “You know how angry I am! Oh, how angry I am! "

Mona enthusiastically joins her father's game. She rushes round and round and suddenly gains new knowledge: it turns out that it is quite possible to cope with her anger. It's even a very fun activity. And of course she forgives Morten. And mom gets a new embroidered napkin for Christmas.

Love is born in response to love. Such a close, warm human connection, such a careful attitude towards each other, strong friendship and love in the family - this, of course, is what every child dreams of. But is he himself ready to love in return? Often, unfortunately, no. Simply because he does not know how, he does not feel the other person. Doesn't know how to do it. And no one can help him with this. Modern man increasingly seeks to retire, to be alone, to isolate himself from other people and their problems. And children are no exception. And in this book, everything is exactly the opposite.

The old red truck is also a full member of the family, sharing its joys and works. They also take care of him, take care of him, look for him when they steal him, try not to load too much, so as not to warp the body. A reverent, loving attitude to a person and to a thing, not as a one-time feat, but as a completely common phenomenon of everyday life - this is one of the amazing discoveries that await everyone who undertakes to read this story, especially a modern child living in the space of a consumer society. Giving, not taking, taking care of someone, worrying about someone else, it turns out, is much more interesting than endlessly demanding something for yourself. And yet, it turns out that a person really needs not things at all, but people.

Children-readers from the first pages are surprised to notice that the eight children from the book are always cheerful and inventive in their games, despite the outward meagerness of their lives. And here is their school friend Sigurd, who - lo and behold! - they have their own room and a lot of interesting things, they don't know what to do with themselves, and they are happy to have fun with them at the children's party that dad and mom arranged for them. In that one and only room in all, turned into a ship for a couple of hours - with a gangway made of an ironing board and a sail, hastily sewn from eight children's sheets. This is the whole point, here is one of the secrets of the happiness of this family - adults and children strive for each other, they feel good together. Adults know how and love to play with their children, and children are not separated from the daily concerns of their parents. Little readers very quickly notice the spiritual generosity of the adult heroes of the book, who easily share their time and energy, without excuses being tired or lack of time, although they work tirelessly all day. How, unfortunately, it does not resemble the everyday reality of the life of a modern child, often left to himself or transferred by loving, but very busy parents under the care of a nanny. He sighs with envy - I wish I could do that too ...

Having learned that the children will have nothing to talk about at school after the summer holidays, which they again spent in the stuffy city, dad makes an instant decision: tomorrow we are going to the sea. It doesn't matter that there is no money for tickets and a hotel. Do you need the sea? You will receive it. All you need is a truck, a backpack, a blanket for each and a warm sweater to boot. And of course, bathing accessories. The simplicity of this family's life and strong love truly work wonders. For a week at sea, children have fun like their classmates, perhaps, did not have a rest for the whole summer. And this, too, will certainly become another discovery for a child, especially about nine or ten years old, for whom it is already becoming important what he and his friends are wearing, what things he has and what not. This chapter from the story is worth all the special educational conversations. Just read it aloud and rejoice with your child when he himself accidentally guesses that a person is not at all measured by the things he is wearing.

Generally speaking, the book "Dad, Mom, Grandma, Eight Children and a Truck" is not at all philosophical, but very, very funny, filled with games and inventions. For example, the names of all the children in this family are like a funny counting rhyme, they all start with the letter M. It seems as if my mother started another game when she loudly calls the children to the table: “Maren, Martin, Martha, Mads, Mona, Millie , Mina, Morten - have lunch! " And so what if they often have only bread and potatoes for lunch. The whole difficulty of the heroes' life is as if hidden from the reader for the time being behind the tricks of Morten and his brothers and sisters. And the smallest readers, those who are still only listening, do not notice these difficulties at all, unable to tear themselves away from the fascinating text. They are a little jealous of Morten, who painted the entire floor in the room with red paint, and he got nothing for it. They are worried - will dad allow to leave the dachshund found in the forest, for which the children have already come up with a funny name Samovar Pipe? With bated breath, they watch how little Morten helps extinguish the fire in the house next door, how grandmother protects the house from robbers by arranging a trap with a bucket - and they sigh with relief when the robbers turn out to be not robbers at all, but good family friends who have come to visit without warnings.

The story enjoys constant success among children of all ages, starting from the age of four.

Beautiful illustrations by Natalia Kucherenko endow every child and adult in this family with their own characteristic features. Mona's knitted hat and Morten's colorful trousers, decorated with red patches, cannot be confused with anything. And maybe the book is so interesting also because every child will definitely find his "reflection" here - someone will find his resemblance to the restless little Morten, who has not yet pronounced the letter "r", someone recognizes himself in Mads, who afraid to go to a new school. And someone's reflection, perhaps, will be the touchy Mona or the brooding Maren.
If suddenly it seems to your children that the book ended too quickly, invite them to read its sequel entitled "Anton's Little Gift" (this book was also published by the Makhaon publishing house). And do not be surprised if you are asked: is it not yet?

Elena Litvyak

Anne-Katrina Westly

DAD, MOM, GRANDMA, EIGHT CHILDREN AND THE TRUCK

(collection)

Dad, mom, eight kids and a truck

Once upon a time there was a big, big family: dad, mom and as many as eight children. The names of the children were as follows: Ma? Ren, Ma? Rtin, Ma? Rta, Mads, Mo? Na, Mi? Lli, Mi? Na and Baby Mo? Rten.

And also a small truck lived with them, which they all loved very much. Still not to love - after all, the truck fed the whole family!

If any of the acquaintances was going to move, he certainly asked dad to move things. If it was necessary to deliver goods to a store from the station, then it could not do without my father's truck. One day a truck was driving huge logs straight from the forest and was so tired that then he had to give a short vacation.

Usually dad and the truck went to work every day, and dad got paid for it. Dad gave money to mom, and mom bought food with it, and everyone was happy, because it's more pleasant to be full than hungry.

When dad, mom and all eight children walked down the street, passers-by almost always mistook them for a small demonstration. Some even stopped and asked their mother:

Are these all your children?

Of course, my mother answered proudly. - Whose is it?

Dad, mom and eight children lived in a tall stone house in the very center of a huge city. And although the family was so large, their apartment only consisted of one room and a kitchen. At night, dad and mom slept in the kitchen, on the couch, and the children were in the room. But is it possible to place as many as eight beds in one single room? Of course not! They didn't have any beds. Each evening, the children spread eight mattresses on the floor. It seemed to them that it was not so bad: firstly, everyone can lie side by side and chat as much as you want, and secondly, there is no danger that at night someone will fall off the bed on the floor.

For the day, the mattresses were stacked in a high slide in the corner, so that you could walk freely around the room.

And everything would be fine, if not for one unpleasant circumstance. Here's how: in the apartment directly below them lived a lady who hated noise.

But what can you do if Maren loved dancing, Martin jumping, Martha running, Mads knocking, Mona singing, Millie hitting the drum, Mina screaming, and Little Morten hitting the floor with whatever? In short, you can imagine that their house was not very quiet.

Once there was a knock on the door, and a lady who lived below them entered the room.

My patience has run out, - she said. - I'm going to complain to the owner right now. It is impossible to live in this house. Can't you calm your obnoxious children?

The children hid behind their mother's back and peered out carefully from behind her. It seemed that my mother had nine instead of one head.

I try to calm them down all the time, - said my mother, - but they just play, like all children in the world, I can't scold them for that.

Of course. For me, let them play as much as they want, ”the lady said angrily. - But after dinner I go to rest, and if I still hear even one sound, I will go and complain to the owner. I just wanted to warn you.

Well, okay, - my mother sighed, - we will do it as usual.

The children knew very well what it meant “as usual,” and the four elders immediately began to dress the four younger ones. Mom also tied a scarf and put on a coat, and everyone was ready for the walk.

Where are we going today? Mom asked.

Let's discover new lands, ”Maren said.

Let's go to a street we’ve never walked on before, ”Mads said; they’d always make some new discovery while walking.

Then we would have to go very far, and we don't have much time, ”Mom said. - Let's go to the pier.

While they were walking, dad returned from work. He parked the truck outside the house and washed and cleaned it a bit before going home. Dad put the truck wiping rag under the seat in the cab. On the back of Dad's seat were pictures of Mom and all eight children glued to it. It seemed to the Pope that they thus accompanied him on all trips.

If dad met someone he particularly liked, he would raise the seat and show the photographs.

That's great, - said Dad, - now the truck is pleased, and I can safely go home.

But as soon as dad opened the door of his apartment, he immediately realized that there was no one at home.

“Apparently, the Lady Bottom has visited us again,” he guessed and lay down to rest.

After a while, mother and children returned home. There was no truck near the house.

So dad hasn’t arrived yet, ”Martha said.

It's a pity, - my mother was upset. “I thought we’ll all have lunch together.” Well, it can't be helped.

They entered the apartment and, to their surprise, found dad quietly snoring in the kitchen.

You cheated us great! - said my mother. - Where did you hide the truck? We are upset that you are not at home, and you, it turns out, are here.

Truck? - Daddy said sleepily. - The truck is standing still, you just did not see it.

What are you saying! - Mom was indignant. “It’s impossible that I and eight children did not notice one truck. Come on, Maren, run downstairs, look again!

Dad sat down, scratched the back of his head, yawned. It seemed that he did not even understand what was at stake.

Did you take the truck for repairs? Mom asked. - Maybe the motor has deteriorated?

No no no! Dad exclaimed. - I told you that he is downstairs. I even washed it and rubbed the glass. Enough of that! Point!

But when Maren ran upstairs and said that there was no truck downstairs, dad finally woke up.

I’ll go, ”he said,“ I must immediately report it to the police.

Everything seemed to be petrified. For a long time no one could utter a word. It was scary to think that the truck had been stolen. After all, the truck made money for them every day, and they all loved him like he was a member of the family. Yes, in fact, it was so.

Mom, do you think it was stolen? Maren asked at last.

What's so surprising about that? After all, he is so beautiful, - said my mother.

Dad went to the police station, from there they called other police stations and said that a small green truck was stolen.

Several days passed, but there was no word about the truck. Finally, it was even announced on the radio so that everyone in the country would know that a small green truck was missing.

These days the children were very quiet and obedient. They thought about the truck all the time and felt very sorry for it.

In the evenings, they whispered for a long time, lying on the mattresses. Martin said the most:

Tomorrow is payday, and dad won't get anything. Let's go look for a truck tomorrow. Without the kids, of course, only Maren, Martha and me.

Or maybe Mona and I will also go with you, because we are not kids anymore? Mads asked.

No, we'll go very far. We will walk all day until we find it, ”Martin replied.

Let it go, ”Mads whispered to Monet. - Tomorrow, when they leave, we too will sneak out and go search without them.

OK. How cleverly you thought it up! - Mona was delighted.

Soon they fell asleep, but the city was still awake, and cars were rushing through the streets: cars, buses and many, many green trucks.

Dad, mom, eight kids and a truck

Once upon a time there was a big, big family: dad, mom and as many as eight children. The names of the children were: Maren, Martin, Marta, Mads, Mona, Milli, Meena and Little Morten.

And also a small truck lived with them, which they all loved very much. Still not to love - after all, the truck fed the whole family!

If any of the acquaintances was going to move, he certainly asked dad to move things. If it was necessary to deliver goods to a store from the station, then it could not do without my father's truck. One day a truck was driving huge logs straight from the forest and was so tired that then he had to give a short vacation.

Usually dad and the truck went to work every day, and dad got paid for it. Dad gave money to mom, and mom bought food with it, and everyone was happy, because it's more pleasant to be full than hungry.

When dad, mom and all eight children walked down the street, passers-by almost always mistook them for a small demonstration. Some even stopped and asked their mother:

- Are these all your children?

“Of course,” my mother answered proudly. - Whose is it?

Dad, mom and eight children lived in a tall stone house in the very center of a huge city. And although the family was so large, their apartment only consisted of one room and a kitchen. At night, dad and mom slept in the kitchen, on the couch, and the children were in the room. But is it possible to place as many as eight beds in one single room? Of course not! They didn't have any beds. Each evening, the children spread eight mattresses on the floor. It seemed to them that it was not so bad: firstly, everyone can lie side by side and chat as much as you want, and secondly, there is no danger that at night someone will fall off the bed on the floor.

For the day, the mattresses were stacked in a high slide in the corner, so that you could walk freely around the room.

And everything would be fine, if not for one unpleasant circumstance. Here's how: in the apartment directly below them lived a lady who hated noise.

But what can you do if Maren loved dancing, Martin jumping, Martha running, Mads knocking, Mona singing, Millie hitting the drum, Mina screaming, and Little Morten hitting the floor with whatever? In short, you can imagine that their house was not very quiet.

Once there was a knock on the door, and a lady who lived below them entered the room.

“My patience has run out,” she said. - I'm going to complain to the owner right now. It is impossible to live in this house. Can't you calm your obnoxious children?

The children hid behind their mother's back and peered out carefully from behind her. It seemed that my mother had nine instead of one head.

“I’m always trying to calm them down,” my mother said, “but they just play like all children in the world, I can’t scold them for that.

- Of course. For me, let them play as much as they want, ”the lady said angrily. - But after dinner I go to rest, and if I still hear even one sound, I will go and complain to the owner. I just wanted to warn you.

- Well, okay, - my mother sighed, - we'll do it as usual.

The children knew very well what it meant “as usual,” and the four elders immediately began to dress the four younger ones. Mom also tied a scarf and put on a coat, and everyone was ready for the walk.

- Where are we going today? Mom asked.

“We'll discover new lands,” Maren said.

“Let's go out on a street we've never walked on before,” Mads said; they always made some new discovery while walking.

“Then we would have to go very far, and we don't have much time,” Mom said. - Let's go to the pier.

While they were walking, dad returned from work. He parked the truck outside the house and washed and cleaned it a bit before going home. Dad put the truck wiping rag under the seat in the cab. On the back of Dad's seat were pictures of Mom and all eight children glued to it. It seemed to the Pope that they thus accompanied him on all trips.

If dad met someone he particularly liked, he would raise the seat and show the photographs.

- That's great, - said dad, - now the truck is pleased, and I can safely go home.

But as soon as dad opened the door of his apartment, he immediately realized that there was no one at home.

“Apparently, the Lady Bottom has visited us again,” he guessed and lay down to rest.

After a while, mother and children returned home. There was no truck near the house.

“So dad hasn’t arrived yet,” Martha said.

- It's a pity, - my mother was upset. “I thought we’ll all have lunch together.” Well, it can't be helped.

They entered the apartment and, to their surprise, found dad quietly snoring in the kitchen.

- Great, you cheated us! - said my mother. - Where did you hide the truck? We are upset that you are not at home, and you, it turns out, are here.

- Truck? - Daddy said sleepily. - The truck is standing still, you just did not see it.

- What are you saying! - Mom was indignant. “It’s impossible that I and eight children did not notice one truck. Come on, Maren, run downstairs, look again!

Dad sat down, scratched the back of his head, yawned. It seemed that he did not even understand what was at stake.

- Maybe you took the truck for repair? Mom asked. - Maybe the motor has deteriorated?

- No no no! Dad exclaimed. - I told you that he is downstairs. I even washed it and rubbed the glass. Enough of that! Point!

But when Maren ran upstairs and said that there was no truck downstairs, dad finally woke up.

“I’ll go,” he said. “I must immediately report it to the police.

Everything seemed to be petrified. For a long time no one could utter a word. It was scary to think that the truck had been stolen. After all, the truck made money for them every day, and they all loved him like he was a member of the family. Yes, in fact, it was so.

- Mom, do you think it was stolen? Maren asked at last.

- What's so surprising? After all, he is so beautiful, - said my mother.

Dad went to the police station, from there they called other police stations and said that a small green truck was stolen.

Several days passed, but there was no word about the truck. Finally, it was even announced on the radio so that everyone in the country would know that a small green truck was missing.

These days the children were very quiet and obedient. They thought about the truck all the time and felt very sorry for it.

In the evenings, they whispered for a long time, lying on the mattresses. Martin said the most:

- Tomorrow is payday, and dad won't get anything. Let's go look for a truck tomorrow. Without the kids, of course, only Maren, Martha and me.

- And it is possible, Mona and I will also go with you, because we are no longer kids? Mads asked.

- No, we will go very far. We will walk all day until we find it, ”Martin replied.

“Let it go,” Mads whispered to Monet. - Tomorrow, when they leave, we too will sneak out and go search without them.

- Okay. How cleverly you thought it up! - Mona was delighted.

Soon they fell asleep, but the city was still awake, and cars were rushing through the streets: cars, buses and many, many green trucks.

Do you think dad, mom and eight children will find their truck?

Be patient and you will learn all about it in the next chapter.

Truck

The next morning, as soon as the older children left home, Mads and Mona began to prepare for the hike.

They whispered about something with their mother and slipped out onto the stairs.

They walked hand in hand and looked at all the trucks passing by. And there were a lot of trucks.

Whenever they happened to see a green truck, they ran up to him, looked into his face, but immediately it turned out that it was a stranger. Yes, yes, don't be surprised, their truck had its own face, just like a man. In addition, it had a rickety body, because during its life the truck transported a lot of heavy loads.

No, it's not that easy to find your truck. But they have to find him, because without the truck, dad and mom will never be fun and dad will not be able to make money. Of course, there is another job, but he will no longer love it, because more than anything he loved to drive his truck.

Mona's legs were tired.

“Let's sit for a while,” she said, and walked over to a large display case with a wide low cornice on which one could sit.

“Well, sit down,” Mads said. “Don’t be limp or we’ll never find a truck.”

Truth be told, Mads had little hope of finding a truck. Last night, lying in bed, he was sure that it was they who would find the truck, but today on the street, seeing the endless stream of cars, he almost lost hope. Nonsense, nothing will come of this search anyway! But he didn't want to tell Monet about it.

Better to pretend he believes they'll find the truck. What if it helps?

- Look, what beautiful baths, - said Mona, - maybe we will have one someday!

“Then we'll have to hang her from the ceiling,” Mads muttered. “You better look at the trucks, not the baths.

- My eyes are tired of these trucks!

- Then close your eyes and listen to the motors, you know what the voice of our motor is.

- I know! - Mona tightly closed her eyes and began to listen.

At first it was scary, it seemed to her that all the cars were going straight to her. At first, the noise of the engine was heard from afar, then it got closer and closer and finally roared over her ear with such force that Mona could not breathe from fear. But gradually the sound died down - the car was moving away. Soon Mona ceased to be afraid and even almost dozed off to the noise of the engines.

Suddenly she jumped up:

- Mads, listen! Close your eyes and listen. It seems?

- It seems. Highly!

He instantly opened his eyes, but - alas! - not a green, but a bright red truck was driving along the street.

A truck pulled up and stopped right in front of them. A man emerged from it. For a while, he looked at his truck with a contented look. Then he went into a store that sold baths.

Mads walked over to the truck and examined the body.

“The same curve as ours,” he said. - I don’t understand, can there really be two such similar trucks in the world?

- Wait, Mads, - Mona suddenly shouted, - look, you are all smeared in red paint! What will mom say now!

- In the paint? Mads wondered, and believe it or not, he was pleased. - So the truck was recently painted!

Mads walked around the truck from all directions.

- And his face is just like ours. Do you think it's worth taking a look into the cockpit?

- Come on, just quickly! I'll watch.

Less than a minute later, Mads climbed out of the cab.

- This is our truck, Mona! He shouted.

A policeman approached them.

- What are you doing here? He asked sternly.

- This is our truck. It was stolen from us, ”Mads and Mona mumbled at once. - And we found him. You see, this is our truck! We cannot live without him, because he feeds all of us, all of us: both dad, and mom, and eight children.

- What was your father's truck? The policeman asked.

“Green,” Mona replied.

- And this one is red. - The policeman leaned against the body. “I understand that you wanted to help your father, but this time you were wrong.

- Oh, mister policeman, do not lean! Shouted Mads. - Look, you are covered in red paint. I am also covered in paint.

- Aha! So the truck has just been painted. Suspicious! - said the policeman.

- Do you want me to prove right away that this is our truck? Mads asked.

At this time, a man came out of the store and arrived in a truck.

- Is this your truck? The policeman asked.

“Of course,” the man replied.

“Then ask him what's in the cockpit under the seat,” Mads said.

The man was a little embarrassed, but replied:

- I don’t remember exactly, it seems, suede for cleaning glass.

- And I know for sure! Said Mads proudly.

- Well? The policeman asked.

“On the back of the seat, Dad glued pictures of Mom, Maren, Martin, Martha, Mona, Millie, Mina, Little Morten and mine,” Mads said.

“We’ll see,” said the policeman. - Bring the seat here.

Mads climbed into the cockpit, pulled out the seat, and all nine photographs were indeed pasted there.

The man who arrived in the truck became very serious. Suddenly he smiled.

“It's my wife and my children,” he said.

“Not true,” Mona said. - We are not your children, but these are our photographs.

- How - not mine! Of course mine! He turned to the policeman. “They’re just very naughty, I can’t handle them.

- Then tell me what my name is! Mads demanded.

- M-M-M-Mons! - the man said frightened.

- Nothing like this. My name is Mads!

“That's enough,” said the policeman. - Everything is clear to me!

“That's right, I stole a truck,” the man said. Now he looked pitiful, old. - I've always really wanted to drive a truck. Once they even guessed to me that I would be a chauffeur. This truck looked so lonely when I found it that I decided to take it for at least a week.

“Okay, okay, you’ll go with me to the police station and explain how it all happened,” the policeman said. - Goodbye guys! Now I will send an attendant to you, he will take you home in your truck. The key, I see, is in place.

- Goodbye! .. - the man said in confusion.

He looked at the package in his hand.

“Actually, I bought this for the truck,” he said. - Here is a glass for flowers. It will be very nice if you attach it to the cockpit window.

Mads took the package and bowed politely to the man. He went along with the policeman, he looked so unhappy that Monet and Mads felt sorry for him.

- Come and visit us! Mads called after him. - Daddy will let you ride in the truck. We live where you found it.

The man nodded very gravely to Mads and walked on.

And happy Mads and Mona climbed into the back. Finally another policeman came, started the engine, and the truck started to move.

After a short drive, they saw Maren, Martin and Martha walking slowly down the street and staring at all the green trucks.

Mads knocked on the cockpit window and asked the cop to stop.

- Hey! He shouted to Maren, Martin and Martha. - Come here, sit down!

They climbed into the back, but their faces were upset.

“Actually, we don’t have time to drive around in the car, but our legs are very tired,” Maren said.

- Where are you in such a hurry? Mads asked.

“We're looking for Dad's truck,” Martin replied solemnly.

“Then take a better look at what you're driving,” Mads said.

What a joy it was when they returned home with the truck! But most of all, the truck itself was happy! After all, he had long been accustomed to this family and could not even imagine how it could serve someone else. Well, he even liked the fact that he turned from green to red.

Grandma is coming to town

Can you imagine how difficult it is to dress such a large family? It was also fortunate that they could wear their clothes one after another: Martha after Maren, Mona after Martha, Millie after Mona, Mina after Millie, Mads after Martin, and Little Morten wore everything after all, but then all things were already so worn out that Mom had to cut pieces of the kiss out of them and sew pants for him from these pieces.

Morten really liked that his pants turned out to be multi-colored. When he got bored, he could endlessly stare at the multicolored scraps of fabric from which his clothes were sewn.

But each of the children had their own wash basin. And these basins were not inherited from one to another.

Every evening the children walked in twos to the kitchen and washed.

The first were Little Morten and Mina. Mom helped them wash, then poured clean water into their basins, poured a little washing powder there and asked:

"Do you have anything dirty today?"

"Something dirty" was almost always found. Morten and Mina dipped their laundry into their own basin.

Everyone else did the same. At night, ten basins stood on the table in a row in the kitchen, and each one was soaked with dirty linen. Early in the morning, my mother poured hot water into them, and everyone independently, as best he could, began to wash. Mom helped everyone a little, poured water for rinsing, and soon she was already hanging clean clothes on a rope that was stretched from the kitchen window across the yard to another house.

And every day the rope was full.

One day, when everyone was busy doing the laundry, a letter suddenly fell through the crack in the door into the mailbox.

Everyone quickly threw away their wet laundry and rushed to the drawer.

- Do not touch the letter with wet hands! - shouted mom, running around the kitchen in search of a towel.

Dad wiped his hands on his pants, Morten followed suit. Mona, Millie and Mina wiped their hands on Mom's apron, while Maren, Martin and Mads grabbed a rag. Everyone was diligently wiping their hands.

Yes, the letter caused a stir.

Of course, you will say that there is nothing surprising in receiving letters that you, too, received letters, and more than once. But this letter was from an old grandmother who lived in the village and did not really like to write letters.

For a long time, they had not received anything from her. Of course, it was difficult for my grandmother to write this letter, because sixty years have passed since she went to school, and during this time it is easy to forget what the letters look like.

- Can I cut the envelope? Dad asked, armed with a large kitchen knife.

But my mother was scared.

“With this knife, you’ll cut the whole letter into pieces,” she said. “I'd better open it myself.

She pulled a hairpin out of her hair and cut the envelope with it so deftly, as if all her life she had done was to open envelopes with a hairpin. Then she put the hairpin in her mouth and began to read.

- "Oh-oh-oh-oh!"

- What are you reading? - interrupted her dad. - We don't understand anything. You can't chew a hairpin and read at the same time.

- And that's true, - Mom agreed, stuck a hairpin in her hair and read: - "My dear! I've been saving up a piggy bank for ten years already.

- What piggy bank? Dad asked.

“Ordinary,” Mom replied. - Listen further: “And now I have so much money that I can go and visit you all. It will be great fun to see all your children. How many are there now? I hope I don’t embarrass you. At night I can sit on a chair or you can hang me from the ceiling because I sleep soundly anywhere. I will leave on Tuesday and I think you will meet me at the train station, because I have never been to such a big city before.

Kiss. Granny".

- My God! Dad exclaimed. “Are we going to have to hang her from the ceiling?”

“I don’t know,” Mom said. - In any case, we must put things in order for grandmother's arrival. Today is Monday, and if I am not mistaken, she will arrive tomorrow morning.

“I’ll go and try to get a mattress, it will still come in handy, whether we hang it from the ceiling or not,” Dad said and drove off in a red truck.

Mom and the younger children immediately began to bake cookies. And the elders had to go to school, but when they returned from school, they grabbed their mattresses, carried them out into the yard and began to knock them out with such heat that a whole cloud of dust rose. Then they washed, scrubbed and cleaned the apartment so that everything was clean and beautiful.

Dad came home with a mattress and a whole roll of red paper for decoration.

By evening, everyone was terribly tired, and the children instantly fell asleep.

Dad and Mom also nodded, but they still had a lot to do. First of all, there were eight posters to be made. Each poster had a name written on it. After all, the grandmother did not even know how many grandchildren she had. Clearly she had no idea what their names were.

The next day, the whole family went to the train station in a truck. They went out onto the platform, lined up and waited. Each had a poster around his neck.

Suddenly the station radio rumbled.

- What did it say? The children asked.

“It said that grandmother’s train was approaching the platform,” Mom replied.

And everyone saw how, puffing and snorting, grandmother's locomotive drove up. He dragged many carriages along with him.

“So she came,” Martha whispered. - I wouldn’t miss her.

Dad, mom and eight children stood on tiptoe and looked into the windows of the carriages, but grandmother was nowhere to be found.

“Don't worry, don't worry,” Mom said. - Let's wait for her here, now she will get out of the car.

Many people got off the train. There were many old women among them, but still no grandmother. Finally the last passenger got out and the train was empty.

- Maybe the grandmother didn’t come at all? Mona asked, almost crying.

“She certainly came,” Mom said firmly. - Now we will go through the cars and look for her.

The cars were completely empty, but when they looked into one compartment, the door of which was ajar, in the farthest corner they saw an old woman in a white kerchief. She sat with her head lowered and her face in her hands. This was the grandmother.

- Why are you hiding here? Mom asked.

“I'm afraid to go out,” said my grandmother. “It's so noisy here in the city.

- What are you afraid of? After all, we are all with you and we will protect you.

- And I thought to sit here until the train turns around and goes back. All the same, after all, it will be considered that I have visited the city.

“That’s not good,” Mom said firmly. - You should stay with us at least a little.

“I’m afraid to go outside, there are so many cars,” said my grandmother.

“Do not be afraid, grandma, I’ll pelezuyu you man for a long time,” said Little Morten.

Then the grandmother agreed. She firmly took Baby Morten's hand and went out into the street with him.

Grandma was happy when they finally got home. Their apartment seemed very beautiful to her. And it is not surprising - after all, all the flower pots, walls and ceiling were decorated with red paper.

Now the grandmother got a good look at all the grandchildren and learned their names by heart.

After that, she sat by the window and sat there for the rest of the day.

When the coffee was ready, she took her cup and put it on the windowsill.

- Why are you sitting at the window all the time? Mads asked Grandma.

- I count cars, - answered the grandmother. - One hundred eight, one hundred nine ...

She sat by the window until it got dark.

“I counted one thousand eighty cars,” she said. “Not so bad for the first day. Can I sit on a chair at night, maybe count some more?

- No, what are you, - said my mother, - go to bed better. I am very interested in how you will like your bed.

Mom opened the kitchen door: there, on the kitchen table, a bed was made for grandmother.

- How interesting! - said the grandmother. - I have never in my life had to sleep on tables!

Perhaps you also did not have to sleep on the table in the kitchen? In any case, my grandmother slept so well that she immediately decided to live with her father, mother and eight children for a whole week. You, of course, guessed that everyone was very happy about this.

That evening, eleven basins of dirty linen were lined up on the floor because the kitchen table was busy.