Tuesday, March 10, 2009

Little Mermaids and Ungly Ducklings: Favorite Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen
























Little Mermaids and Ugly Ducklings: Favorite Fairy Tales by Hans Christian Andersen
ISBN: 0-08118-1954-X
Pages: 69

Inside Flap Description:
Lavishly illustrated by award-winning artist Gennady Spirin, this spectacular collection gathers together six of the most beloved stories by master storyteller Hans christian Andersen. Inspired by folk legends he collected on his travels throughout Europe and Asia Minor, these compassionate, wise, and funny tales have been treasured by readers ofa ll ages for more than 150 years.

The characters in these tales, from the loyal little mermaid to the brave tin soldier to the ugly duckling, learn life lessons from the experiences they encounter, lessons that are still vital to the way we live today. From them we learn to trust in ourselves, to believe that beauty is more than skin deep, to realize that the gifts that we find in nature are precious, and that the sacrifices that we make for love are the heart and soul of who we are as humans.

Gennady Spirin's delicate watercolors, in the tradition of the great masters of the Renaissance, bring these enchanted characters and their valuable lessons magically to life. Together the pictures and tales combine to create a timeless collection of classic stories that deserve a special place on every bookshelf.

My Rating: A+

My Review:

First of all, this really is a book for all ages. The stories are fun, and a little sad, and the artwork is wonderfully enchanting.

I impressed by how touched I was by The Ugly Duckling. It really went straight to my heart. I thought that Thumbelina was so sweet and so different from anything I remember as a kid. The Little Mermaid surprised me with having a completely different ending than the Disney version! And to be honest, I was quite disappointed in The Princess and the Pea because it was so short.
The Steadfast Tin Soldier was the saddest of them all, I didn't like the ending but I liked the travels that it took to get there.

The art itself was really what made me pick this book up. In The Nightingale there's an image of the Emperor with Death standing next to his bed and faces of his good and evil deeds watching over him. It is a two page picture and if I could have it framed I would. I'm including at least one picture from the book to show you what I mean.

I recommend this to anyone!

The first image is from The Little Mermaid and the second is from The Princess and the Pea

3 comments:

  1. I like books with great illustrations as well. My mom is the best at finding these for the kids and I don't think they appreciate them nearly as much as I do!

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  2. I gave my sister a book like this for her birthday, I think I want to read it now :)

    nice thoughts!

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  3. Oh, this book looks gorgeous!! I love fairytales with lovely illustrations.

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