The Little Mermaid and Other Fairy Tales: Unabridged in Easy-to-Read Type

by Bob Blaisdell

Discover the timeless, captivating children's stories of Hans Christian Andersen in  The Little Mermaid and Other Fairy Tales . These enchanting and unforgettable tales, filled with adventure and invaluable life lessons , have been among literary history's most frequently translated works. A curious little mermaid princess trades her voice to a sea witch for legs to be with a human prince she loves in " The Little Mermaid ;" " Great Claus and Little Clause ," about a clever young man who turns a series of misfortunes into a fortune; " The Tinder Box ," recounts 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. Readers of all ages will enjoy the pleasures of this time-honored collection and its fun-filled adventures. For this edition, all four stories have been newly reset in large, easy-to-read type and are enhanced with six full-page illustrations by Thea Kliros.
 

Genres: Classics, Childrens, Short Stories, Danish

96 pages, Paperback

Published November 2, 2011

About the author

Bob Blaisdell is a published adapter, author, editor, and an illustrator of children's books and young adult books. He teaches English in Brooklyn at Kingsborough Community College. He is a reviewer for the San Francisco Chronicle and Christian Science Monitor and the editor of more than three dozen anthologies for Dover Publications. Email him at Robert.Blaisdell@Kingsborough.edu

Reviews

[Larissa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I get the sense that 'happy endings'--or at the very least, endings in which noble and deserving characters triumph through their nobility and worthiness--are a relatively recent construct of hyper-sensitive parenting. Here, we have the classic fairy tale fare: people die loveless, become rich and successful through their cunning (regardless of who they have to knock off on the way), and snooty princesses are exiled and abandoned for their once high-fallutin', ungrateful behavior.

There's not a consistent morality here--although we do get occasional child-baiting supplications for good behavior. For instance, the Little Mermaid's 300 penitential years as a drop of ocean foam can apparently be shortened/lengthened through the good behavior of little children: "...for every day that we [the foam droplets] find a good child who gives pleasure to its parents and deserves their love, God shortens our time of probation...But if we see a naughty or badly disposed child, we cannot help but shed tears of sorrow, and every tear adds a day to the time of our probation."

What seems to be most valued, however, is a character's cleverness, his ability to alter circumstances in his favor. A poor knight strikes a bargain with an old witch, only to chop off her head when he finds that he can get a better deal by doing so (he ends the story as a king). A beleaguered serf suffering at the hands of his rich neighbor tricks his oppressor into killing his five horses and his grandmother, before convincing him to voluntarily drown himself in a river. Here, too, the serf ends the story wealthy and happy.

A slightly different moral compass than I expect children today are being led by...

[Elaine · Rating 1 out of 5]

Four fairy tales: Little Mermaid, Tinder Box, Great Claus and Little Claus; and The Swineherd. This is not Disney's Little Mermaid. There is no happy ending here. The next two stories include murder, deceit, and greed in multiple occasions. The main characters are evil in the two middle stories. These stories will give nightmares to your children. Make sure you read them by yourself,before you read it to any child younger than 12.

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Our favorite was the story of Great Claus and Little Claus. The Little Mermaid was not as pitiful as I thought it would be. It was fun to see the various endings that the stories had with not everyone happily ever after.

[Kelly · Rating 2 out of 5]

These are some screwed up stories. I much prefer Jax's Cinderella Snapped.

[Leslie Carnahan · Rating 4 out of 5]

I remembered liking Hans Christian Andersen as a kid. But I did forget how fucked up it was that she turns into sea foam at the end.
Also: the Tinder Box story.... What a fever dream that was.

[Julie Carithers Overstreet · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Little Mermaid, a classic by Hans Christian Anderson. I chose this book to fill a prompt in the 52 Book Club Challenge 2025.

[WSL Library]

x3

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I feel lied to that the story I grew up with was not the true story. Loved reading them again as an adult!