The Most Beautiful Story

(Hardback)

Publishing Details

Classifications

Physical Properties

Description

Age range 6+

A testament to the power of the imagination and the saving power of storytelling.

While the rest of the world is sleeping, Vera is out running, flying to the lake at the top of the hill. She needs to meet her little brother again, and so, she turns to Syl. Syl, the magical creature who rises from the lake. Syl, who helps reframe grief and pain into healing and acceptance. Syl, who tells the story Vera most wants to hear: the story that brings Vera's brother back to life. The Most Beautiful Story, both sad and hopeful, is a stunning testament to the saving power of stories. Together, Tjnn and Torseter have created a quiet, introspective book about longing, loss, and a love that transcends both.

The Most Beautiful Story, both sad and hopeful, is a stunning testament to the saving power of stories. Together, Tjnn and Torseter have created a quiet, introspective book about longing, loss, and a love that transcends both.

Reviews

A 2022 Mildred L. Batchelder Honor Book

This Norwegian exposition on death and loss almost defies description. It is mesmeric and obtuse, alarming and atmospheric, and ultimately peaceful and unresolvedmuch like death and loss themselves. A child mourning her younger brother ventures into a wood with her brothers spirit in tow, passing creatures familiar and menacing, to arrive in the presence of a lake-bound lady who recounts their story. The scratchy black-and-white figures move through dark, densely colored landscapes full of inexplicable detail on a propulsive quest for something, a hurried passage through the hardest part of their story, to come out the other side. Torseters imagery defines their journey, indelibly imprinting on the reader myriad confounding and consuming emotions, in tension with one another. We are left with many questions, but beneath them a definitesense of its-going-to-be-okay. This is what art is for.Calling Caldecott(aHorn Bookblog)

An intricate tale of tragic loss and fervent hope as Vera seeks help from a compassionate, magical entity who uses the wonder of story to bring the memories of a lost sibling back to life. American Library Association

Thought-provoking narrative entwined with emotive illustrations create an enchanting story that can be appreciated by children of all ages. Dr. Marie A. Lejeune, 2022 Batchelder Chair

Who is that running in the middle of the night / Oh, its Vera. Vera steps out a window, eyes closed, into the snow. She glides forward, airborne, ethereal in her light and billowy nightgown. Her long hair flows out behind her, ensnaring a boy in pajamas from a tree branch. His eyes, like Veras, are closed. Veras hair, still flowing behind her, cradles and carries him as they fly through landscapes of folklore and ghouls. Torseters fine-lined drawings are loose-handed, minimalist, and eerie. Tree roots in underground caves reach out; skeletons nestle; trees wail. Readers learn, obliquely, that this is a ritual that is reenacted repeatedly. When Vera and the boy, Salander, reach the lake this time, a huge woman rises out of the water, and Vera asks her to tellthe most beautiful story.The one where there is so much pain, but everything is fine in the end. Telling it, the woman brings Salander back to life. Vera can hear his heart now, and as she carries him home in her arms, she feels his warm breath on her cheek. Tjnns piece about processing grief is like fresh bereavement itself. A delicate, unnerving meditation. Kirkus Reviews

"Poetic and dreamlike, rushing, soaring, beautiful and sharp." www.barnebokkritikk.no (Children's Book Criticism)

"This is a book you can read many times and discover new things each time. A classic book for all ages, in the sense that experienced readers will read into the text in ways that less experienced readers might not, but the youngest doesnt feel cheated of anything because of that. Tjnn and Torseters fairy-tale world is a fascinating and moving universe." Dagbladet (Daily Magazine)

Author Bio

Brynjulf Jung Tjnn(b. 1980) made his literary debut with the novelI Came to Love (Eg kom for elske)in 2002. He has since published a number of books for both children and adults. His young adult novelYou Are So Beautiful (S vakker du er)won the Brage Prize for children's and young adult literature in 2013.

yvind Torseteris a Norwegian artist and illustrator who has created eight books on his own and several with other authors. Hes received numerous awards for his books, including a Bologna Ragazzi Award and the Norwegian Book Art Prize. In 2014, yvind was a finalist for the prestigious Hans Christian Andersen Award. This is his sixth book to be published by Enchanted Lion.

Born in Edinburgh, Scotland,Kari Dicksongrew up bilingually, as her mother is Norwegian and her grandparents could not speak English. She holds a B.A. in Scandinavian studies and an M.A. in translation.