Hans Christian Andersen’s birthday, April 2, is celebrated as International Children’s Book Day. While he was wrote plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, Andersen is most remembered for his fairy tales. Andersen’s stories explore ideas and themes that transcend age and nationality. In fact, his stories have been translated into more than 125 languages, become embedded in the West’s collective consciousness. They have inspired plays, ballets, and a number of films.
In honor of International Children’s Book Day and Hans Christian Andersen’s birthday, I would like to offer up a selection of the best fairy tale collections including Andersen and then some great books inspired by his work.
From Andersen:
1.Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
2. Little Mermaids and Ugly Ducklings: Favorite Fairytales
3. Tales of Hans Christian Andersen
Tales retold or inspired by Andersen:
1. The Steadfast Tin Soldier retold by Cynthia Rylant
2. The Ugly Duckling retold by Jerry Pinkney
3. The Pea Blossom by Amy Lowry
4. The Tinderbox by Stephen Mitchell
5. King Long Shanks by Jane Yolen
6. The Uglified Ducky by Willy Claflin
7. The Princess and the Peas and Carrots by Harriet Ziefert
8. The Red Shoes by Gloria Fowler
Do you have a favorite story from Andersen’s collections, or perhaps a favorite version or a classic tale? Share it in the comments and it might just becomes someone else’s new favorite!
Do you have a young child in your life that is just starting to ‘get’ reading? Emergent readers are those that have developed an understanding of the alphabet, phonological awareness, and early phonics. They have command of a significant number of high-frequency words, reads in a left-to-right and top-to-bottom progression, may tell the story from memory, may invent text, and are developing a firmer grasp of comprehension strategies and decoding skills. They can recognize fiction and nonfiction, and understand that there are many reasons to read.
Carole Miller of the 
In celebration of National Poetry Month, the library will present Stratford poet Norah Pollard. Norah has recently released her wistful and joyous new book “In Deep”, her fourth poetry collection. She has received the Academy of American Poets Prize from the University of Bridgeport, and for several years edited the Connecticut River Review.
The Cheshire Library Blog 