So, Ellen, the senile toy elephant, finally dies in this the third and final book about Barnhans Land. Much to the suppressed joy of the other older animals, who of course enjoy a good, well planned funeral. But others miss her more than they expected. And when the grave (or, well, the hole) turns up empty one morning, more than one of them start to think about existence in a wider sense.

Apart from this, things are very much the same in Barnhans Land, despite a drumming tin duck joining the group. Pricknallen gets a doll, the uncle club have their boring meetings, the Bisam Rat thinks about Russia and tries to write poetry, and Nöken gets forgotten both here and there.

Really, it’s apparent the Ellen storyline is the main thing in this book. But since it’s so loose and small, there’s a lot of fluff in between. All of it charming and fun, but too much like what we’ve seen before. It’s courageous dealing with death in this way in a book for small children, and the cast is wonderful. I just find myself a little bored at times. Two books might have been enough. ( )