Wonderful Stories For Children

by Hans Christian Andersen

This historic book may have numerous typos and missing text. Purchasers can download a free scanned copy of the original book (without typos) from the publisher. Not indexed. Not illustrated. 1846. Excerpt: ... SjSpHERE was a king's son: nobody had so-'$ K many, or such beautiful books as he had. Everything which had been done in this world he could read about, and see represented in splendid pictures. He could give a description of every people and every country; but--where was the Garden of Paradise?--of that he could not learn one word; and that it was of which he thought most. His grandmother had told him, when he was quite a little boy, and first began to go to school, that every flower in the Garden of Paradise was the most delicious cake; one was history, another geography, a third, tables, and it was only needful to eat one of these cakes, and so the lesson was learned; and the more was eaten of them, the better acquainted they were with history, geography, and tables. At that time he believed all this; but when he grew a bigger boy, and had learned more, and was wiser, he was quite sure that there must be some other very different delight in this Garden of Paradise. "Oh! why did Eve gather of the tree of knowledge? why did Adam eat the forbidden fruit? If it haa been me, I never would have done so! If it had been me, sin should never have entered into the world!" So said he, many a time, when he was young; so said he when he was much older! The Garden bf Paradise filled his whole thoughts. One day he went into the wood; he went alone, for that was his greatest delight. The evening came. The clouds drew together; it began to rain as if the whole heavens were one single sluice, of which the gate was open; it was quite dark, or like night in the deepest well. Now, he slipped in the wet grass; now, he stumbled over the bare stones, which were scattered over the rocky ground. Everything streamed with water; not a dry thread remained upon the prince. He ...

Genres: Classics, Childrens, Fiction, Fantasy, Ebooks

52 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1846

About the author

Hans Christian Andersen (often referred to in Scandinavia as H.C. Andersen) was a Danish author and poet. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, Andersen is best remembered for his fairy tales. Andersen's popularity is not limited to children; his stories — called eventyr, or "fairy-tales" — express themes that transcend age and nationality.

Andersen's fairy tales, which have been translated into more than 125 languages, have become culturally embedded in the West's collective consciousness, readily accessible to children, but presenting lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity for mature readers as well. Some of his most famous fairy tales include "The Little Mermaid", "The Ugly Duckling", "The Nightingale", "The Emperor's New Clothes" and many more. His stories have inspired plays, ballets, and both live-action and animated films.

Reviews

[Jordan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely not the Disney version of many tales. Some of these stories might not be fit for the very young. Many of Andersen's stories have very sad endings and some violent content. I enjoy them for their cultural significance. It's interesting to see how much has changed in retellings for children over the years.

[Geert Daelemans · Rating 3 out of 5]

Sometimes dark, always fantastic

Wonderful Stories For Children collects some of the lesser known stories of the Danish fairy tale writer Hans Christian Andersen, with the one exception being The Constant Tin Soldier. The complete list of stories: Shut-Eye (Ole Lukøje, 1842), The Daisy (Gåseurten, 1838), The Naughty Boy (Den uartige Dreng, 1835), Tommelise (Tommelise, 1835), The Rose-Elf (Rosen-Alfen, 1839), The Garden of Paradise (Paradisets Have, 1839), A Night in the Kitchen, Little Ida's Flowers (Den lille Idas Blomster, 1835), The Constant Tin Soldier (Den standhaftige tinsoldat, 1838) and The Storks (Storkene, 1838).

Children’s stories have come a long way since the time Andersen wrote these little fairy tales, so it is very doubtful if any modern child would still be enraptured by the imagination captured in these little gems. All of them bathe in a pool of nostalgia that will certainly appeal to the more mature reader. The genius of the author lies in being able to elevate mundane little things to wonderfully fantastic proportions, as probably best showcased in Little Ida's Flowers, one of the longer stories of this collection. Certainly when death is the subject of a tale, which happens more than once, you get to see Anderson at his darkest. Makes you wonder what kind of impact this would have had on the youngsters of the first half of the 19th century.

The fantasy used by Anderson is quite transcendent and allegoric and will often lead to more insight after a second reading.

[B · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book didn't have Ugly Duckling. How disappointing.

Andersen's stories tend to involve a lot of anthropomorphized flowers and creatures that live among flowers. It's a much more active David the Gnome with a lot of amiguity about sex. They're a little interesting in their strangeness.

[Mariana · Rating 3 out of 5]

Estuvo interesante leer algunos de los clásicos, pero definitivamente no es mi tipo de historias. A pesar de que entiendo la diferencia temporal y cultural, me molesta el sexismo y la estupidez implícita en estas historias.

[Luciano Dinapoli · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book contains several short stories. Not sure what kids of today will think of these, since they were written so long ago under a different social context.

[Kat · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fine translation and contains several of the lesser-known stories.

[e.c.h.a · Rating 3 out of 5]

nggak salah kalau Hans Christian Andersen dinobatkan jadi Bapak Dongeng, cakeep banget tulisannya.

[Freya · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fantastic stories!