A Treasury of Stories from Hans Christian Andersen

by Jenny Koralek, Jenny Koralek

Presents retellings of some familiar fairy tales, including "The Emperor's New Clothes," "The Nightingale," and "Thumbelina"

Genres: Classics, Childrens

156 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1996

About the author

Jenny Koralek has written numerous books for children, but "was inspired to write NIGHT RIDE TO NANNA'S after my two small grandchildren came to stay with us, having traveled across hte city and hte river in the night to our house. I believe every child in the world is entitled to such an experience -- to travel from one safe, known, loved place to another."

Reviews

[Sophie Crane · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is like holding treasure! Something to be passed down through the generations. Either read to very young children as bed time stories or for older children and adults to enjoy. I like that it has no illustrations as a child’s imagination will be better than any illustrator could accomplish. What you’re getting here is well over a hundred short stories that have been enjoyed over and over again for the past 200 years by a fantastic author presented beautifully.

[Marshall A. Lewis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I haven’t read any direct translations of Anderson, but I imagine they would be a bit less child-reader-friendly than this collection feels. Overall I did not enjoy the writing style much, but I really enjoyed a couple of the stories I’d never heard before. My favourite stories in this collection were:

What the Old Man does is always right
The Nightingale
&
The Swineherd