There was once a man called Pettson who had a cat named Findus. They lived in a little red house with a tool shed, a hen house, an outside toilet, a woodshed and a garden. Paddocks lay all around, and beyond them was the forest. (Pancakes for Findus )
Findus
… is a lively young tabby cat. He got his name by chance: as a kitten he came to old Pettson in a box of Findus frozen green peas. Findus has three birthdays a year because it’s so much fun to celebrate birthdays. He also likes to chase the hens. Pettson made him his little green trousers after the cat saw a similar pair in the newspaper. Perhaps the most special thing about Findus is that he can talk. But he only talks to Pettsson – he keeps his gift a secret from everyone else. He can also talk to the muckles who are all around. Pettson can’t do that. He doesn’t seem to see them at all.
Pettson
… is a kind old man. He lives on his small farm in the Swedish countryside. He doesn’t like chatting very much. He likes being on his own. Although sometimes it could get quite lonely. But that was before Findus came along. After that, things took off! Pettson likes to spend time in the shed, coming up with and building tricky appliances. The trickiest thing he has built is a mechanical, talking Yule Tomte. He still doesn’t know how he managed that! In the evenings Pettson usually sits in the kitchen and listens to the radio, drinking coffee and solving crossword puzzles while Findus lies comfortably on the kitchen sofa.
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Learning with Findus and Pettson
Letters and Words£9.99A fun activity book that will help young children learn the basics of letter recognition, spelling and words.
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Learning with Findus and Pettson
Numbers and Shapes£9.99A fun activity book that will help young children learn the basics of counting, shape recognition and colours.
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Can Findus Find Pettson?
£6.99Findus has drawn a picture for Pettson. But where is Pettson? Findus asks everyone he meets, but nobody seems to know – not the hens, not the cows, not even the muckles. How will Findus find Pettson?
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Keeping up with Findus
Sven Nordqvist£9.99Findus the talking cat challenges Pettson to join him as he runs, jumps and clambers around the farm. Pettson tries to keep up, with comical results. However, there is one thing that he is very good at!
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Findus and the Christmas Tomte
£18.99Snow is falling on Pettson’s farm, and Christmas is approaching. Findus, the talking cat, tells Pettson that he is excited about the Yule Tomte visiting and bringing gifts. Oh dear! thinks Pettson, How can I explain that the Yule Tomte may not visit cats? So Pettson resolves to build a secret Tomte, what could possibly go wrong?
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Findus Rules the Roost
£12.99The chickens are Findus’ best friends, second only to Pettson. But one day, Pettson brings home a rooster. What happens next?
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Findus Goes Fishing
£12.99‘I’m in a bad mood and I want to be left alone,’ says Pettson. Findus the cat stares at him. He’s never seen the old farmer so grumpy. I must cheer him up, he thinks. Somehow.
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Findus, Food and Fun
Seasonal Crafts and Nature Activities£14.99Brimming with Sven Nordqvist’s ingenious illustrations, here is a craft and activity book that will get you up and active.
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Findus Plants Meatballs
Sven Nordqvist£12.99Farmer Pettson begins to sow his vegetables and because Findus does’t like vegetables he decides to plant one of his meatballs instead. However, keeping the vegetable garden safe from the farm animals proves a hard task for Findus and Pettson.
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Findus Goes Camping
£12.99One day, Findus finds a tent in the attic. Pettson starts imagining how it will be going camping by the lake, catching fish and grilling them over the fire as the sun sets. This is not exactly how things turn out, though, as Findus, Pettson and the hens try hiking and camping – in the garden.
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Findus Moves Out
£12.99Every day at four o’clock in the morning, Findus likes to jump up and down on his bed. He wakes Pettson, who tells him to stop. Because cats really need their early morning exercise, Findus decides to find a house of his own where he can jump and bounce when he likes. But jumping on beds is one thing – living without Pettson is quite another…
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Findus at Christmas
£12.99It is the day before Christmas Eve and there is lots to do, but disaster strikes when Pettson sprains his ankle. How can Findus and Pettson celebrate Christmas now, with no tree, ham, meatballs or gingerbread?
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Findus and the Fox
£12.99There’s a hen-hunting fox on the loose. But farmer Pettson and his quirky cat Findus agree that foxes shouldn’t be killed. They should be tricked. They come up with a fabulous plan which makes for an explosive, unforgettable night.
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When Findus was Little and Disappeared
Sven Nordqvist£12.99Here is the story of when Findus was little and disappeared – and how he came to live with Pettson in the first place.
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Pancakes for Findus
£12.99It is Findus’ birthday, so Farmer Pettson wants to bake a big stack of pancakes for the cat who has three birthdays a year. But how can they get the eggs when the bull is in the way?
CHILDREN’S BOOKS
It’s not often that we come across books with such immediate and lasting appeal as Sven Nordqvist’s ‘Findus’ series. The stories are ingenious, the characters are quirky and original, and the illustrations are absolutely delightful… I can’t recommend them highly enough. Hurrah for Findus!
Philip Pullman
“The delightfully characterised Pettson is eccentric, but not as much as his neighbours think he is. There is succinct and underplayed comedy, too, in his dry exchanges with his cat, whose body language is as expressive as his speech. Best of all is the way in which the pictures create a world, not only depicting the farmhouse and surrounding countryside in irresistible detail, but also telling humorous little sub-narratives about the tiny creatures who live around the farm. Subsequent readings are bound to yield more discoveries than the first.”
Nicolette Jones, Sunday Times Children’s Book of the Week
“I liked Findus and the Fox a lot. My favourite part was when everything was colourful and when Gustavsson was scared from Findus pretending to be a ghost Ooooooo! And everything went BANG, BING, KAPOW! I liked the bit when Pettson made a fake chicken out of a pepper balloon and glued feathers on it. All of the Findus and Pettson books are really good.”
Remy, aged seven.