HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN

The prolific author of beloved fairy tales stars in this short illustrated entry in the What's Their Story? series (see Grant, above) of biographies. Langley characterizes Andersen's childhood as a poor one, yet growing up in one room in Denmark still gave him room for imagining. Also chronicled is Andersen's schooling, his early persecution by classmates, travels, and an adulthood fraught with illness, loneliness, and heartbreak. This is not a full examination of his works or their sources of inspiration_only a few of his stories are mentioned briefly, but no bibliography is included_rather, this is an overview of his life and a citing of a few key events, e.g., meeting his idol, Charles Dickens. (chronology, index) (Picture book/biography. 6-9)