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5th out of 5 books
—
2 voters
The Tinderbox
by
Hans Christian Andersen,
Stephen Mitchell (Goodreads Author) , Bagram Ibatoulline
From the creators of THE NIGHTINGALE, an exquisite edition of another Hans Christian Andersen classic tale of dark adventure
"Left, right! Left, right!" A soldier is marching home from war when he meets a witch who says, "What a fine sword you have, and what a big knapsack! Now I’ll show you how to get as much money as you want." Fortune is fleeting for the soldier until he...more
"Left, right! Left, right!" A soldier is marching home from war when he meets a witch who says, "What a fine sword you have, and what a big knapsack! Now I’ll show you how to get as much money as you want." Fortune is fleeting for the soldier until he...more
Hardcover, 48 pages
Published
February 13th 2007
by Candlewick Press
(first published 1835)
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307)
Oct 21, 2009
Abigail
rated it
3 of 5 stars
Recommends it for:
Fairy-Tale Lovers / Bagram Ibatoulline Fans
Review Temporarily Removed.
Oct 21, 2009
Abigail
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Fans of Revisionist Fairy-Tales
Review Temporarily Removed.
I don't know what I thought this book was going to be like but it wasn't what I expected. I suppose I thought it was going to be a classic little fairy tale--boy meets princess, love, blah blah, blah. This was definitely different.
A soldier walking home from the war meets a haggard old witch. She tells him to climb down a hollow tree to fetch as much money as he can carry as long as he returns the tinderbox to her. After he returns he ends up with the money and the box (you'll have to read to f...more
A soldier walking home from the war meets a haggard old witch. She tells him to climb down a hollow tree to fetch as much money as he can carry as long as he returns the tinderbox to her. After he returns he ends up with the money and the box (you'll have to read to f...more
The morals in this story leave a lot to be desired. However, the book is well written and the illustrations are beautifully rendered. A soldier, walking home from war, is met by a witch who tells him how to get a great deal of money. He does so, but when the witch angers him, he just kills her and makes off with a tinderbox that later proves to be magic. The soldier blows through his money, has no real friends, and uses the magic tinderbox to get out of the situations that he's gotten himself in...more
A children's story from Hans Christian Andersen matched with exquisite illustrations from Bagram Ibatoulline equals a bedtime marvel for child and adult alike. The artwork is simply fantastic and it is worth it just to get this book to look at the finely detailed illustrations. The layout is very clean, which makes it easy viewing for every reader.
I collect children's books that have excellent art, but the storytelling is just as good, keeping it simple and short for the youngster. This is a vol...more
I collect children's books that have excellent art, but the storytelling is just as good, keeping it simple and short for the youngster. This is a vol...more
Oct 21, 2009
Abigail
rated it
3 of 5 stars
·
review of another edition
Recommends it for:
Hans Christian Andersen Fans
Review Temporarily Removed.
After reading Andresen’s ‘The Nightingale’, I was expecting a story just as exquisite. What I read instead was unexpected.
‘The Tinderbox’ tells the story of a soldier returning from war, who encounters an old witch on his way home. She tells him to climb down a hollow tree, and that as long as he follows her instructions he will find as much money as he can carry. In return, she asks that he brings back her tinderbox. The witch’s life is cut short by the soldier and off he goes with the money a...more
‘The Tinderbox’ tells the story of a soldier returning from war, who encounters an old witch on his way home. She tells him to climb down a hollow tree, and that as long as he follows her instructions he will find as much money as he can carry. In return, she asks that he brings back her tinderbox. The witch’s life is cut short by the soldier and off he goes with the money a...more
Aug 11, 2011
Lisa Rathbun
added it
I loved the illustrations in this book: muted but very detailed pen drawings. The story itself (originally by Hans Christian Anderson) contains several questionable elements: the soldier beheads the old witch to get her tinderbox and the dogs destroy the councilors and the king and queen. I'd definitely save this tale for the older than 7 crowd, but it's one that I remember clearly from childhood and the wonderful pictures only help this story be more memorable.
When a soldier returns home from war and meets a witch, his life changes dramatically. This scraggly witch surprisingly comes to a quick end! Now the soldier begins to enjoy his fortune and look for a happy ever after but what lengths will he go to to get this?! An old witch and the three giant dogs along with the beautifully developed settings really create an exciting scene.
Beautifully illustrated with rich, detailed settings and characters. Enjoyabe book for year 3.
Beautifully illustrated with rich, detailed settings and characters. Enjoyabe book for year 3.
A nice retelling of the classic fairy tale. The illustrations are what really make this book though. They are gorgeous and intricate. I'm tempted to unbind the book and frame some of my favorite pages.
Not crazy about the story (selfish and greedy soldier gets rich, then poor, then rich again and marries a princess), but the illustrations were amazing--I had to study them a second time.
In some stories of Andersen he seems to be promoting a personal propaganda. This one seems to be one of them.
A bizarre story. One of the oddest from Andersen I have read. The illustrations alone, make this worth reading.
I just don't like the idea of how the king and queen were kicked out from their kingdom at the end.
Illustrated by Barry Moser
The ilustrations fit this rendition of the fairytale so beautifully.
The ilustrations fit this rendition of the fairytale so beautifully.
Perfect fantasy selection for fifth grade unit on genres.
About soldiers, witches !
Great short read!
Great short read!
Less well known but my absolute favorite Anderson
he still killed the witch.
bad soldier.
bad soldier.
Illus. by Bagram Ibatoulline
The illustrations in this 2007 Candlewick edition are crazy good. The dog's eyes are
absolutely and perfectly frightening.
absolutely and perfectly frightening.
wat a weird story!
The illustrations are pleasing and the prose style pleasant, but this is just not a favorite story of mine. The protagonist lacks morals and common sense, and might makes right is the only moral I can draw from this retelling.
This story is a less known fairy tale and this rendition was made even better with the illustrations. The three dogs entertained my kids so much they were talking and laughing about it the next day.
Out of the hans christian anderson fairytales that I have read it wasn't as good a fairytale as the others and I was slightly disapointed by the story
I LOVED THIS AS A KID!! I can just picture my dad reading it now and describing the dogs eyes!
Always have enjoyed Hans Christen Andersen!
May 19, 2013
Kwatrho
marked it as to-read
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Hans Christian Andersen, or simply H.C. Andersen, was a Danish author and poet, most famous for his fairy tales. Among his best-known stories "The Snow Queen", "The Little Mermaid", "The Emperor's New Clothes" and "The Ugly Duckling". During Andersen's lifetime he was feted by royalty and acclaimed as having brought joy to children across Europe. His fairy tales have been translated into well over...more
More about Hans Christian Andersen...
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