HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN'S CHILDREN's TALES - Vol. 1 - 20 Illustrated Stories

Book excerpt: In this volume you will find 20 illustrated children’s stories by the master story-teller Hans Christian Andresen. The Hans Andersen Fairy Tales will be read in schools and homes as long as there are children who love to read. As a story-teller for children the Hans Andersen has no rival in the power to enlist the imagination of children and carry it along natural, healthful lines. The 21 full page illustrations and 20 illustrated story heads by Edna F. Hart give added depth and meaning to the stories. In this volume you will find familiar Andersen stories like: The Ugly Duckling The Steadfast Tin Soldier Little Thumbelina The Little Match Girl The Snow Queen You will also find another 15 less familiar but enchanting stories like: The Fir Tree Little Tuk Little Ida's Flowers Sunshine Stories The Darning-Needle The Loving Pair The Leaping Match The Happy Family The Greenies Ole-Luk-Oie, The Dream God The Money Box Elder-Tree Mother The Roses And The Sparrows The Old House The Conceited Apple Branch The power of his tales to charm and elevate runs like a living thread through whatever he writes. In the two books, the first of which is presented here, they have met the tests and held an undiminishing popularity among the best children's books. They have set the standard, and their place in permanent literature will grow wider and more secure as time passes. Only a few children's authors will be ranked among the Immortals, and Hans Andersen is without a doubt one of them. NOTE Denmark and Finland supplied the natural background for the quaint fancies and growing genius of their gifted son, who was story-teller, playwright, and poet wrapped into one. Love of nature, love of country, fellow-feeling with life in everything, and a wonderful gift for investing everything with life wrought together to produce in him a character whose spell is in all his writings. Recognized in courts of kings and castles of nobles, he recited his little stories with the same simplicity by which he had made them familiar in cottages of the peasantry, and endeared himself alike to all who listened. These attributes, while they do not account for his genius, help us to unravel the charm of it. The simplest of the stories meet Ruskin's requirement for a child's story—they are sweet and sad. =============== KEYWORDS/TAGS: Hans Andersen Fairy Tales, folklore, myths, legends, children’s stories, bedtime, fables, read, school children, homes, love to read, story-teller, imagination, ugly duckling, steadfast tin soldier, little, Thumbelina, match girl, snow queen, fir tree, tuk, ida's flowers, sunshine stories, darning-needle, loving pair, leaping match, happy family, greenies, ole-luk-oie, dream god, money box, elder-tree, mother, roses, sparrows, old house, conceited, apple branch, charm, undiminishing popularity, children's books, set the standard, children's author, Denmark, Finland, playwright, poet, cottages, peasantry, listen, sweet, sad