Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales. Second Series

Pages: 168

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About this book

Close to thirty short stories chosen by the editor J. H. Stickney from the work of the Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) make up this second selection. Her preface says the two volumes gather the tales best suited to children, drawn from more than forty years of story-telling.

The book opens with a flax plant in blue flower that hopes to become something, and follows it through the loom, the paper mill and the printer. Other pages give a voice to a proud teapot with a cracked lid, an old street lamp, a pen and an inkstand. Better known tales such as The Little Mermaid, The Wild Swans and The Emperor's New Clothes sit beside them.

The stories are short, gently humorous and often quietly moral, easy to read aloud to a child or to enjoy alone. A section of notes at the back adds background on the tales.

About the author

Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, he is best remembered for his literary fairy tales.