This book is so well done....Oh my god!
I freaking love this book so much! Get me the physical copy already!

The book is narrated with sophistication that it's just impossible not to get lost in it from the first page itself.
The artstyle is breathtaking. Combine all the most beautiful Disney moments of your life and imagine how beautiful the illustrations in this book is! I am so reliving all the best Disney moments of my life with this book.
The writing is impeccable, will touch your innermost soul and you will fall in love with beautiful memories all over again. 
There are moments you will cry; there are moments you actually want to hug the narrator so many times and tell him he's being still loved by many today. You will get to know who had the most influence in his life and what shaped his life; the inevitable circumstances, the theatre and the art, the books and the readings, the war, the important people in his life and most importantly some of the most important life-changing moments that most of us aren't aware of. There are titbits of his most popular tales he had written towards the end of the book. 

I appreciate the author's note. It's such an eye-opener.

Thank you #NetGalley for the book!

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This is a beautifully written and illustrated book about Hans Christian Andersen. The story unfolds as Hans is in a coach travelling with a little girl called Elsa and her mother. He tells the girl about his life, the ups and downs, hardships and fortunes, and of the stories he created and how they all are in a way like experiences hes had. 
This really is a beautifully put together book and I loved it. Fans of any Hans Christian Andersen's books will adore this.

I loved this book. As a child reader who ate up all of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales, getting a look into his life through the eyes of a little girl was an awesome way to tell this story, and the illustrations paired beautifully.

What a delightful account of Hans Christian Andersen's life! His story, as told here to a young girl in a carriage, is as full of heartbreak and enchantment as any of his fairy tales. Born to a poor cobbler and an impoverished family, Hans left at 14 to pursue a career on stage. Though he did not become a successful actor, Hans did find success as a storyteller and became famous. A lovely story with beautiful illustrations, this brief narrative will definitely make you want to curl up with a collection of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales after reading.

Beautiful read, absolutely perfect. I love that it goes through Hans' life and then through all of his stories and how they pertain to him. The illustrations were also wonderful. It was intricate and detailed and they really held the fairy tale feel that is so important to Hans Christian Andersen.

With beautiful artwork and a growing friendship, this book hides it's biographical format behind a well written narrative. While many children no longer know who Hans Christian Andersen was, this book will allow them to recognize his work as the basis of movies and books that are very familiar to them. The shortened summaries of his stories may send them in search of his works, so they can compare what they know to "the real thing", the original story.

A pretty biography about Hans Christian Andersen, detailing his early life. Long at 50+ pages; would recommend for grades 3 or 4+. Perfect for fairy tale units. Would add to my school library!

This is a cute Little story. it is actually about the life of the well-known Andersen and is told as a fairy tale. I grew up with the fairy tales of Andersen and enjoyed learning more about him.

This was an interesting children's-oriented biography and I learned plenty about Anderson. I’m familiar with his stories, but didn’t know much about his life. I loved how the illustrations shifted between neutrals and colors, to more elaborate illustrations to showcase fairy tales. I read this via NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher.

Hans Christian Andersen - The Journey of His Life by Heinz Janisch is the beautiful story of the Danish writer's life, from his humble beginnings as a shoemaker's son, to one of the most beloved and prolific children's authors of all time.  Narrated in the voice of Hans himself, the writer joins a little girl named Elsa and her mother in a carriage as the trio embark on a shared journey to Copenhagen.  On the way, Hans entertains young Elsa with stories of his own experience of making his way in a world that was often cruel, to his ultimate destiny of imagining and writing some of the most fantastical and enduring fairy tales ever written.  I have many fond memories of my mother reading these tales to me as a child, and I virtually hung on each and every magical word.  The illustrations imagined by Maja Kastelic are simply sublime, and I was transported back to a time of innocence and wonder.  This is a truly beautiful story that I would be thrilled to share with anyone who is longing to recapture some of the magic of childhood.

Many thanks to NetGalley and North South Books Inc. for the opportunity to read this lovely book.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I may be an adult, but this little book truly moved my imagination. I received a beautifully illustrated Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale collection for my fifth birthday and grew up reading these magical tales over and over again. Yet, I never knew a thing about the author, even though I happen to live and study in Copenhagen right now.

This book gives children a unique opportunity to learn about their favorite author - one which I didn't have until now. Not only does it give a solid background to the tales, but it is also a very motivational story. Through wonderfully illustrated pages of this book, we learn that Andersen came from an impoverished family and became wealthy and accomplished through his own hard work and determination. This is the kind of message I want to be reading to children; as an ESL tutor for little kids, I know very well just how much TV shows and books shape the young minds.

The only suggestion I have is that in the story and illustrations, Andersen and the little girl Elsa have a bit of a strange relationship when read with the contemporary times in mind. He holds her hand at the beginning of the tale when they had just met, for example. This is not an appropriate message, nor something I would like to expose children to.

All in all, I would highly recommend this book to any young fans of some of the most beautiful classical fairy tales - and the parents, too.

Such a cute and fascinating little book. I wanted a bit more from it, the story itself was quite short. The art was lovely though and my fascination with Hans Christian Anderson has definitely been ignited.