While I generally love all the Little People big Dreams books, this one was somehow lacking. Certainly it gave us a snapshot of Hans Christian Andersen's life, but if you were unaware of his stories, this might all not make sense. And, because Disney has sanitized them, and those are the versions most are familiar with, they might not understand the point behind the little mermaid, who lost her voice, and her life because of love.

This might be a good book to explain his life, or touch on it, at least, for those who have read his fairy tales. There are actually better books out there, that are picture books, that delve just a little bit more into his fairy tales and how and what influenced them.

But, on a whole, a good introduction to the life of the man.

<em>Thanks to net galley for making this book avialalbe for an honest review.</em>

Another inspiring book in this wonderful, growing collection of ‘Little people, big ideas’. Aimed at young children there is enough to engage with adults sharing the experience of reading with our little ones.
The author manages to compress the subject’s life into these colourfully illustrated pages that the struggles and successes are outlined.
In Hans Christen Andersen we see an imaginative child growing to share his poetic story telling we classify as ‘fairy tales’ that went on to fire children’s imaginations long after the stories end.
Above all it is a book that shows the determination of the human spirit, the quest for education through reading and writing. He returned to school to overcome his appalling spelling and grammar. I particularly loved the picture of an overgrown child trying to sit at his school desk.
Finally, it promotes reading, a wider love of literature and celebration of the arts.
Many visit Copenhagen and the statue of The Little Mermaid, this simple book will ensure anyone visiting in the future will be ignorant of the author who shared his own love of reading.

"It's never too late if you really want to learn."

I've talked about Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara's Little People, Big Dreams series many times before on this blog. And it should come as no surprise that I picked up her Hans Christian Andersen story as well. I think the thing I love about this series of books so much is that there's almost always something new to learn. And maybe this is a call out to how little I know about all these amazing people of the past...but it's still fun to learn about them all the same.

"They had one precious jewel that they kept carefully in the cupboard: a book."

Oh my goodness, I could cry at how much I loved reading the story of Hans Christian Andersen's life in this format. It was heartbreaking and inspirational in ways I personally had not imagined. And Vegara does a beautiful job of weaving all the pieces together. Honestly, I think if I were to ensure I owned any of her books, this would be my number one.

Hans was a storyteller from the beginning and that is something that I hold so dear to my heart. I guess it's really no surprise that I fell quite hard for this book.

"Hans spent his free time writing."

Ah, me too, Hans. Me too.

Okay, but for real...I don't love the artwork. And, to be fair, I've never fallen in love with any of the artwork for these books. I really put this down to the fact that it's just not my style at all. But it's consistent throughout the series despite having multiple illustrators, this one featuring the artwork of Maxine Lee-Mackie.

I wouldn't say there's anything wrong with the artwork. It's definitely bright and beautiful. But I just don't care for it personally. And I don't really expect that to be the rule for anyone else. In fact, I kind of think a lot of kids will adore it. I mean, just look at how bright-eyed and eager Hans looks!

"It was full of misspellings, but he found it just delightful."

So, this is the part where I, as an educator who has regularly worked with kids who make multitudes of spelling mistakes (largely phonetic), the fact that Hans Christian Andersen persevered through his dream to tell and write stories despite struggling with writing and needing to go back to school at a much older age is so amazing. I legitimately do think that I will, at some point, buy a copy of this book for one of my kiddos.

There's something truly heart-warming to find someone who has struggled but was still able to succeed and recognize a piece of yourself in them. Especially in something like this. And I just...it gives me feels. I can't even imagine how much it might mean to someone who's struggled in their own school.

I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Delightful! Bright quirky illustrations and an encouraging story of Han Christian Andersen’s life. As someone who has enjoyed his stories, and who married into a Danish family, I thought this was a lovely tribute for kids, to such a prolific author.

(I only wish it came out on April 2nd as a celebration of his birthday and Children’s Book Day!)

Another great children's book written by Maria Isabel Sanchez Vegara in the Little People, Big Dreams series. The artwork and story were both beautifully done. Many of the pages were written about what was happening throughout Andersen's personal life and the illustrations accompanying showcased how these moments influenced his writing by telling another layer of his story through illustrations of his fairy tales.

A wonderful book for children or anyone who enjoys fairy tales. I know there are a lot of mature Hans Christian Andersen fans that would also love to add this book to their collection or share this story with their children, grandchildren, or students. I would recommend this one for fairy tale fans of all ages. A very enjoyable read!

Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.

As always with this series, a beautiful depiction of the life of someone we know. Hans Christian Anderson’s fairytales are classics, and it’s so interesting to read about his life. I loved the swan in the illustrations. Keep them coming!

This is a great introduction to Hans Christian Andersen for children, especially those who love fairy tales. In grade school, I was required to do a report on a famous figure, and this book would be a good start for a report. The artwork is cute, and the narrative is digestible for children. It highlights key points in his life, and it will hopefully inspire readers to research further!

This book is so cute and so inspiring for all the dreamers around the world who might feel like they don't belong.

As usual these books are fantastic at simplifying a famous person’s life and achievements. This one had beautiful illustrations for the story/imagination parts.

I absolutely love the images in this book. They reflect the style of Hans Cristian Andersen books, which I find fantastic. However, this book is marketed to all ages. I would not recommend this for all ages. There are too many words on the pages for a child below 4 or so to be able to follow/pay attention to/actually be able to listen. I am not saying I would not potentially buy this for a younger child, but the majority of younger children will not be able to follow this book, it is definitely for an older child (of 5 or so years). I completely recommend this as a cute tale for youngsters introducing them to a great and famed writer.

Thanks to the author, illustrator, publisher, and Netgalley for a copy of this book in exchange for honest feedback. I will be cross-posting this review to Goodreads.

I loved this children's book mostly because of its whimsical illustrations! They are brilliant! I also love the fact that this book has been written, as it speaks on one of the most influential authors in literature that may sometimes be overlooked. Also, this book manages to humanize and connect the author with children, such as through mentioning Children’s Book Day. I think it was a great book with great illustrations. I’m a fan.

This latest entry in the excellent Little People/Big Dreams series for young children tells the story of Hans Christian Anderson. Appealing detailed illustrations accompany the text throughout.

Readers learns that young Hans grew up very poor. Still, the family had one book and this book was loved by Hans as it was full of exciting stories. The somewhat circuitous route by which Hans got from his family’s book to writing his own is told in this title. As usual with this series, there are additional facts about the book’s subject included at the end.

I like this title very much. Through it readers learn about an author with whom they may already be familiar. He truly was one of the most beloved writers of fairy tales.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for this read. All opinions are my own.

The story of this beloved storyteller's life has sadness, loss, overcoming and joy. Although he came from a family with a joy of reading, he was unable to finish school as a child and only was able to do so as a young man. From then on he put his dreams to paper and wrote stories that have been translated nearly everywhere and into every medium.
The illustrations are mostly simple and forthright with brilliant colors thanks to illustrator Maxine Lee-Mackie.
I requested and received a free temporary ebook from Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children's Books/Frances Lincoln Children's Books via NetGalley. Thank you!

Who doesn't know Hans Christian Andersen? His tales lit up my childhood, and next to Enid Blyton, he was the most commonly present author in my collections. But I never knew anything about his background so reading this little book was an eye-opener. It is amazing to see how his creativity helped him overcome his childhood struggles, how he became such a prolific writer in spite of not having receive schooling in his formative years, how he used his real life experiences to create more fantastical stories. Parents will enjoy taking the nostalgic look at the beloved author. And I hope children will read this title and yearn to know more it Hans Christian Andersen through his books. His stories are evergreen, and this book deservedly gives him the credit. Absolutely enjoyed reading this picture book.

The illustrations are decent, though they seem to be very different in style from the rest of the titles in this series. I’m not a huge fan of pasty white faces and red rouged cheeks when it comes to illustrations, so I didn’t really enjoy that aspect of the human figures. But the overall design of each page (except the human elements) is superb.

Thank you, NetGalley and Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children's Books, for the Advanced Review Copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

A nice addition to the LPBD series, which is already super well loved by customers. Maxine Lee-Mackie's illustrations are a great fit, though I wish they had a bit more of a weird fantasy vibe - I feel like there's so many more strange interesting Andersen stories that could be inserted into the feeling of the book.

Hans Christian Andersen is another wonderful book in the Little People Big Dreams series! I loved learning about his life and what lead him to pen some of the most beloved children's fairy tales of all time. I do wish this was a little longer. His personal biography ends after he begins publishing stories. I think children will enjoy learning about life of the author of so many famous stories they already love.

Thank you Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children's Books and NetGalley for providing this ARC.

I love the Little People, Big Dreams series as a fun introduction to historical figures for my kiddos. They think they are fun and enjoy the vivid artwork. Han Christian Andersen is a favorite of mine and I actually already had a physical copy of this book saved on one of my Amazon book lists before I had the opportunity to request this ARC copy. Overall, the story was nice and was an enjoyable retelling. There were a few things, I didn't love. One of the art depictions had the backside of a naked man, which I'm assuming alluded to "The Emperor's New Clothes". He has written many stories though, so I really didn't feel they needed to highlight that one in a children's book, or with that graphic at least. The ending was a little off-putting too, reading that because he never hid his feelings and had a great imagination, he got what he always wanted. Besides disagreeing with this from a historical point of view, I don't love the message this gives to children. Learning emotional control is a part of maturing and sometimes our feelings aren't really justified, nor do they need to be expressed to everyone we come in contact with. Obviously it is appropriate in some cases, but the oversimplification of the statement really did not close the book well in my opinion. Also, sometimes you don't get what you want, even when you work hard, so the same is especially true for just expressing feelings. Again, this is all a matter of semantics, but it bothered me, nonetheless.

Thank you for such an amazing picture book biography of the best fairytale writer of all times!

The illustrations are unique and something we can all look forward to. It's comforting.

The lifestory of the author, his background and those who made it possible and what motivated him to write his stories have been captured in a beautiful, simple way apt for the target audience.

Love it.

Thank you, the Publisher and the author for the advance reading copy.

Another round, another famous person, this time a writer: Hans Christian Andersen!
Also, this time, I know whom we're talking about, since I grew up with his fairy tales.

What surprised me was that his love with a woman was incorporated into the story, while I was so sure he was gay. Need to look that up.

Apart from that, beautiful, atmospheric pictures and another great one from this series.
The arc was provided by the publisher.

This series is always a joy to read, it’s a really nice introduction to well known people for little children. Of course the plot is always a little bit fast but that’s to be expected and it’s totally understandable.
This volume right here is about the famous fairytale writer Hans Christian Andersen. I'm sure children all over the world are quite familiar with his stories and this book would be a great way for them to learn about the man who created them. I highly recommend this one!