Among the most beloved of all fairy tales, the stories of Han Christian Andersen delight us with their originality, whimsy, and humorous treatment of human faults and foibles—vanity, snobbery, greed, and the like. Often these human failings are the villains of the story rather than the witch or ogres of traditional tales.
Now young readers (and listeners) can enjoy the special magic of Andersen's fairy tales in this selection of four of his most popular stories. Included are “The Little Mermaid,” the story of a young mermaid princess who falls in love with a human prince; “Great Claus and Little Clause,” about a clever young man who turns a series of misfortunes into a fortune; “The Tinder Box,” recounting the adventures of a soldier and a magical tinderbox that grants any wish; and “The Swineherd,” about a poor prince who wishes to marry the emperor’s daughter.
For this edition, all four stories have been reset in large, easy-to-read type and are enhanced with six full-page illustrations by Thea Kliros.