Hans Christian Andersen: The Journey of His Life

Hans Christian Andersen: The Journey of His Life
Author(s)
Co-Authors / Illustrators
Publisher
Genre(s)
Age Range
6+
Release Date
September 01, 2020
ISBN
9780735843882
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"If you like, I’ll tell you the story of a boy who learned to fly.”

Through an enchanted conversation with a young girl in a horse-drawn coach, Hans Christian Andersen shares his life’s struggles, dreams, and triumphs—whose threads can be found woven into his greatest stories. He tells her about the “fairy tale of his life” and how the son of a shoemaker became a celebrated writer.

Heinz Janisch paints a sensitive portrait of Andersen and his literary work. Maja Kastelic has developed a well-suited illustration concept for this story that combines sumptuous art of a picture book with elements of a graphic novel. Thus, for the first time, H. C. Andersen’s life and work become a fascinating collage in picture book form.

A moving, inventive story about the life of Hans Christian Andersen.

Editor review

1 review
An enchanting book about a man who wove magic into his words
(Updated: July 29, 2020)
Overall rating
 
4.7
Writing Style
 
5.0
Illustrations/Photos (if applicable)
 
5.0
Learning Value
 
4.0
Like most other people, I grew up devouring Hans Christian Andersen’s stories. His fairy tales are the first stories I remember reading. And it didn’t matter that I encountered them again and again – in various formats, from stunningly illustrated picture books and monstrous text-heavy hardbound anthologies to film and TV adaptations. There were always new details to discover – like the exact shade of Ariel’s hair or the names of her sisters! And I would continue to be mesmerized.
This biography is as charming and whimsical as Andersen’s tales. It was, admittedly, difficult to tear my eyes off the unbelievably gorgeous illustrations, but when I did, I was pleasantly surprised to find how beautifully the art and text complemented each other.
I did wonder at one point though if the book presented a too-bright picture of his life, which was known to be pretty grim. But considering the target audience for the book, I think it was the right call. There’s something so hopeful and inspiring about the tone and the marvellous way this fictionalized biography comes together, that I wouldn’t change a thing about it. Also, the ending is spectacular (and I usually hate most endings... except for the fairy tale ones, of course!).
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