Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales (The classic children's treasury) [Hardcover]

William King (Adapter, Author), Hans Christian Andersen (Author)

Book Description

Series: The classic children's treasury

Within these pages are eight of Hans Christian Andersen's most magical tales. Watch as the Ugly Duckling blossoms into a beautiful swan, and laugh along with the townspeople at the Emperor's new clothes. Here you'll meet the most celebrated citizens of Andersen's fabled world. You'll get to know Thumbelina, Silly Hans, The Steadfast Toy Soldier, and many more.

The stories in this book are selected from Andersen's most imaginative and best-known works. With original illustrations, these tales invite us into a world filled with magic, love, and bravery.

Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was born into a poor family and received little formal schooling until his late teens, when a benefactor enrolled him in a private school. Although Andersen wrote plays, poetry, and novels for adults, he is best known for his Fairy Tales and Stories, written between 1835 and 1872, a collection of tales for children from which these stories have been adapted.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Zwerger, who has illustrated several Andersen tales as individual picture books, here presents an oversized storybook collection of eight, ranging from the readily familiar ("The Emperor's New Clothes"; "The Princess and the Pea") to others that will be new to many readers ("The Rose Tree Regiment"; "The Jumpers"). She provides a few full-page pictures, at most, for each--just enough to sketch a character, suggest a scene and offer a jumping-off point for the reader's vision. Her lines are characteristically dainty, her palette strong and true--a combination reminiscent of the color plates that frequently embellished texts of yore. Noted translator Bell's retellings are literal and literary, with a leisurely, somewhat old-fashioned feeling created by long, lyrical sentences and descriptions and frequent exclamations and addresses to the reader; they are a fitting match for Zwerger's elegant style. The opening selection, "The Sandman," is, unfortunately, the longest, most rambling and diffuse, and the most clearly European; but after this somewhat difficult beginning, the collection opens a rich world to the reader willing to invest time and imagination in these classic renditions. Ages 4-up.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

From School Library Journal

Grade 4 Up-- This handsome edition, containing eight stories, has a few old favorites and some lesser-known tales that can only be found in complete anthologies. Bell's translations are crisp, offering Andersen's wry observations and romantic prose in clean, precise English. The book is asethetically pleasing--long and narrow, with thick, creamy white pages; a fine typeface; and plenty of white space framing text and illustration. Zwerger's elegant pencil-and-watercolor illustrations are typically restrained in palette, utilizing mostly earthen tones. Her compositions are classically balanced, with uncluttered backgrounds, and realistic characters, costumed fancifully. Each story begins with a simple headpiece decoration and is accompanied by one or more plates. A lovely volume. --Karen K. Radtke, Milwaukee Public Library
Copyright 1993 Reed Business Information, Inc. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 56 pages
• Publisher: Running Press Book Publishers; illustrated edition edition (September 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 2842160460
• ISBN-13: 978-2842160463
• ASIN: 1561387657
• Product Dimensions: 13.1 x 9.9 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.5 pounds
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #410,027 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #5 in Books > 4-for-3 Books > Children's Books > Authors & Illustrators, A-Z > ( A ) > Andersen, Hans Christian

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