Lisabet și bobul de mazăre

Lisabet and her older sister Madicken live in a small Swedish town. The story takes place more than a hundred years ago. Madicken dreams up games and plans that often cause trouble. News of their pranks soon spreads through the town. Lisabet joins in and has ideas of her own. One autumn day, she pushes a pea deep into her nose. It will not come out, so she needs a doctor. Madicken goes with her. She stands by her sister when things go wrong.

Astrid Lindgren wrote this funny story for children. It looks at the urge to learn and cause trouble. It also shows the bond between sisters. It questions strict rules for how girls should act. Lindgren lets the young girls fight and make mistakes. She does not hold them up as models. Nor does she use the story to scold them. She sees children with care and kindness. This helped her gain a lasting place in children's writing of the twentieth century.

The sisters' exploits draw on Lindgren's own life as a child. She based Madicken on Anne-Marie Fries, a friend from her early school days. This edition has colour pictures by Ilon Wikland. Andreea Caleman translated the text from Swedish.