Flicka, Ricka, and Dicka and the Sunscreen

I love to read Greta the Flicka, Ricka, and Dicka books. (http://www.nordichouse.com/detail.aspx?ID=176)

I once thought that the books were published in Sweden. It's not such a crazy leap; the stories take place in Sweden. But no one in Sweden knew what I was talking about when I went to buy the books there. It was embarrassing to inquire about and insist in the existence of the classic Swedish children's books about Flicka, Ricka, and Dicka and Snip, Snap and Snur over and over again all over the country. To add insult to injury, I was trying to speak in Swedish much of the time, with my Swedish-chef accent. You try saying those names with a faux-Swedish accent. Fli-cka, Ri-cka, Di-cka. It's humiliating. And, I'm sure some Swedes had a good laugh. Indeed, they were written by a Minnesotan and published in Chicago . . . in English. So, here's the question: Are the names supposed to be jokes? Is some Norwegian behind this?

If you're still with me after this digression away from the important business of recording the absurdity and joy of parenting my two small children, I will return to the scene of reading Flicka, Ricka and Dicka and the Strawberries to Greta. The book is loaded with pictures of three little blonde girls out picking strawberries and frolicking through the quaint Swedish (or is it?) landscape. Greta's comment: "Mom, I sure hope those girls are wearing sunscreen."