''Most Beloved Sister'' ( sv, Allrakäraste syster) is a 1949

children's book Children's literature or juvenile literature includes stories, books, magazines, and poems that are created for children. Modern children's literature is classified in two different ways: genre or the intended age of the reader. Children's ...

by the

Swedish Swedish or ' may refer to: Anything from or related to Sweden, a country in Northern Europe. Or, specifically: * Swedish language, a North Germanic language spoken primarily in Sweden and Finland ** Swedish alphabet, the official alphabet used by ...

author

Astrid Lindgren Astrid Anna Emilia Lindgren (; ; 14 November 1907 – 28 January 2002) was a Swedish writer of fiction and screenplays. She is best known for several children's book series, featuring Pippi Longstocking, Emil of Lönneberga, Karlsson-on- ...

. It was originally included in the collection ''Nils Karlsson-Pyssling: sagor'' (), then re-released in 1973 with illustrations by

Hans Arnold Hans Arnold (22 April 1925 – 25 October 2010) was an artist, born in Switzerland, who lived and worked in Sweden from 1947 until his death in 2010. He illustrated many magazines and books. He is perhaps best known for his illustrations for the ...

Plot

The story revolves around seven-year-old Barbro, who has a secret twin sister called Ylva-li, the only person in Barbro's life who likes her more than anything else, and who calls her Most Beloved Sister. Ylva-li is the queen of the golden hall which can be reached by crawling down a hole under the rose bush, Salikon. Barbro and Ylva-Li ride their horses and have adventures together. When Barbro has to return to her parents, Ylva-Li tells her that she will die when the roses on Salikon wither. Barbro refuses to believe her and returns to her parents, who pretend that they have missed her. The next day, the roses on the rose bush are all dead, and there is no longer a hole in the ground.

Overview

''Most Beloved Sister'' was first published in 1949 in the Swedish magazine ''Vi''. It was illustrated by

Eva Billow Eva Hildegard Maria Billow née Forss (1902–1993) was an influential Swedish illustrator, cartoonist and children's writer. She is remembered for writing and illustrating rhyming Swedish children's stories, including ''Pojkarna Igelkotts vinte ...

. In 1949 it was published in the fairy tale collection Nils Karlsson Pyssling. In 1950 Astrid Lindgren was awarded the

Nils Holgersson Plaque The Nils Holgersson Plaque is an award given by Swedish Library Association. It was established in 1950, and named for the book ''The Wonderful Adventures of Nils'' by Selma Lagerlöf. It is an annual award given to the author of the best children' ...

for this book.

Film

A short-film, directed by

Göran Carmback Hans Göran Carmback (born 29 May 1950http://www.birthday.se/sok/?f=G%f6ran&l=Carmback in Södertälje, Sweden) is a Swedish film director and screenwriter. He worked with audio engineering before his 1st film as director in 1988. Now he's directi ...

, based on the book, was made in 1988.

References

{{Authority control Works by Astrid Lindgren 1949 children's books Children's fiction books Swedish children's literature Novels about siblings Twins in fiction