Manny Rayner's book reviews

One of the early, laugh-out-loud funny Alfons books, suitable for very small children. It's early morning, and Alfons is supposed to be getting ready to go off to dagis (day-care center) - but every time his dad asks what he's doing, it's some variant on jag ska bara ("I'm just going to...")

The author is brilliant at thinking of things which are pointless for adults, but of all-consuming importance for a four year old boy. Alfons needs to get his doll dressed (he isn't very sexist), put one of the tires back on his toy car, and mend a ripped page in his book of animals. The writing is extremely sharp. The car is referred to as mersan (cool slang for "the Mercedes"), and, on the ripped page from the book of animals, pytonormen är mysigt äckligt ("the python is so wonderfully yucky", is the closest I get to it). She had a great feeling for children's Swedish at this point, I think when her own child was small.

In the end, Dad gets tired of all the excuses, and yells at Alfons that he's had enough of the jag ska bara routine. Get into the kitchen and eat breakfast, för sjutton gubbar! This is a ridiculously mild swear-word, which kids invariably find amusing and copy (even at age four, they know ruder expressions). Alfons duly hauls his ass into the kitchen, eats his breakfast, brushes his teeth, and gets his coat and bag. But where's Dad? He's still sitting at the table reading the paper! And when Alfons reminds him it's time to leave, he's so out of it that he says jag ska bara himself.

Oops!! Alfons isn't going to let him get away with that! And he copies his father's language from a few pages back, telling him that he's tired of the jag ska bara routine. Dad 1 - Alfons 1, and honor is satisfied all round. Kids love this ending.