# Lotta on Troublemaker Street

Lotta on Troublemaker Street (Swedish: Lotta på Bråkmakargatan; also known as The Children on Troublemaker Street) is a Swedish novel and picture book series by Rabén & Sjögren, which is written by Astrid Lindgren.

## Plot

Lotta is a little girl who is three years old at the beginning of the book series. She lives with her siblings Jonas and Mia Maria and her parents on Troublemaker Street. Lotta's next-door neighbor is an elderly woman who Lotta simply calls Aunt Berg. Lotta often visits her. One day, when Lotta has an argument with her mother because she does not want to wear her scratchy sweater, she even moves into Aunt Berg's attic. She later feels lonely in the attic, so she decides to come back home with her father, when he visits her. Lotta often plays with her siblings Mia Maria and Jonas, but does not always want to follow their rules, so the games often end abruptly.

## Background

The stories about Lotta take place in the late 1950s. The illustrations were made by Ilon Wikland. The role model for her illustrations of Lotta was her own daughter Anna.
In the theme park Astrid Lindgren's World, some locations of the books can be visited.

## Characters

| Figure | Description |
| Lotta | Lotta is a three to five-year-old girl who does a lot of nonsense and is very stubborn. |
| Mia Maria | Mia Maria is Lotta's big sister. Many of the stories are narrated by her. |
| Jonas | Jonas is Lotta and Mia Maria's older brother, who plays a lot with Mia Maria. |
| Otto "Totte" | Totte is Lotta's cousin of the same age. Lotta enjoys teasing and hitting him because she says he is "so cute when he cries". |
| Stefan | Stefan is Lotta's dad, whom she adores. |
| Doris | Doris is Lotta's mother, who often has to take action when Lotta has done something wrong. |
| Aunt Berg | Aunt Berg is the friendly neighbor of Lotta and her family |
| Scotty | Scotty is Aunt Berg's dog. |
| Teddy | Teddy is Lotta's big pink stuffed pig, which she takes everywhere. |
| Anna Klara | Anna-Klara is the cousin of Lotta and her siblings. She is strong and adventurous. |
| Maiken | Maiken is the maid of Lotta's grandparents. |

## Works

| Title (individual novel) | Alternative titles | Original title | Original release | English release | Notes |
| The Children on Troublemaker Street | Lotta, Lotta Says No!, Mischievous Martens | Barnen på Bråkmakargatan | 1956 | 1964 | Novel |
| Lotta on Troublemaker Street | Lotta Leaves Home, Lotta Makes a Mess | Lotta på Bråkmakargatan | 1961 | 1964 | Novel |
| Lotta’s Christmas Surprise | Of Course Polly Can Do Almost Anything | Visst kan Lotta nästan allting | 1965 | 1978 | Picture book |
| Lotta’s Bike | Of Course Polly Can Ride a Bike | Visst kan Lotta cykla | 1971 | 1972 | Picture book |
| Lotta’s Easter Surprise | – | Visst är Lotta en glad unge | 1990 | 1991 | Picture book |

## Films about The Children on Troublemaker Street

| Year | Title | Director | Country | References |
| 1992 | Lotta på Bråkmakargatan | Johanna Hald | Sweden | |
| 1993 | Lotta flyttar hemifrån | Johanna Hald | Sweden | |
In the early 1990s two films were made about the life of Lotta and her siblings.
The script was written by Johanna Hald and Astrid Lindgren. Astrid Lindgren had a major influence on the script for the films, but she was not present during the filming. The leading actress Grete Havnesköld was chosen by the director Johanna Hald. Hald had originally intended to make a film about Lindgren's picture book The Day Adam Got Mad. She had already written the script for it, but Lindgren did not think the script was good enough and turned it down. In return, Hald was allowed to shoot the films about Lotta.

## Reception

Maria Hunstig of the Vogue magazine describes Lotta as her heroine. She praises Lotta's healthy self-confidence and her 'I can do anything' attitude, which makes Lotta far ahead of the common image of girls of the late 1950s. Lotta still works as a clever role model today.
Christina Steinlein from Focus praises the picture book Lotta's Bike. She believes that the story is told with a lot of humor, is illustrated in a wonderfully non-teaching way and belongs on the children's bookshelf.
Ingrid Löbner advises parents in her guidebook Gelassene Eltern-Glückliche Kinder: Mit mehr Leichtigkeit und Entspanntheit durch die ersten sechs Lebensjahre to look at Astrid Lindgren's picture book Lotta's Christmas Surprise in order to be able to empathize with how four-year-old children feel, how they see the world, what thoughts they have and what activities they are already capable of. Gabriele Cromme adds that the picture book contradicts the traditional understanding of the roles of girls and boys. Boys are perceived as "active and adventurous" and girls as "passive and immobile", but Lotta is "active and adventurous".