Children's books and book reviews - reading resource for kids, teachers, librarians, parents

Young readers book reviews for ages 8 to 12 years old




*The Annotated Hans Christian Andersen* by Hans Christian Andersen, edited by Maria Tatar and translated by Julie K. Allen- young readers book review
 
Also in the Annotated series:

The Annotated Secret Garden

The Annotated Brothers Grimm

 
Also by Hans Christian Andersen:

The Snow Queen

The Princess and the Pea

Thumbeline

The Princess and the Pea (Little Golden Books)

The Princess and the Pea
The Annotated Hans Christian Andersen
by Hans Christian Andersen, edited by Maria Tatar and translated by Julie K. Allen
Ages 9+ 416 pages W.W. Norton November 2007 Hardcover    

Fairy tales have long been the subject of fascination, civilization defined by its fears and myths, stories that vanquish demons and offer homage to the darker side of human nature. Nowhere else is this vast tapestry of conflicting emotions more completely captured thanin the haunting tales of Hans Christian Andersen, distant cousin of The Brothers Grimm in the Land of Imagination.

Another in W.W. Norton’s ambitious annotated series, this collection does not disappoint. Anderson’s goblins and mermaids hop carelessly through the pages, margins filled with historical context, the influence of culture and an interpretation of the selections that hint of the darker nature of fairy tales.

Edited and translated by Maria Tatar and Julie K. Allen, these tales are lushly illustrated with ink sketches, black and white drawings and full-color renderings that pique the curiosity of young and old alike - “Tales for Children,” “Tales for Adults,” “Biographies”, “Andersen’s Readers,” and “Bibliography”.

Children’s selections include “The Emperor’s New Clothes,” “The Princess and the Pea,” “The Little Mermaid” and “The Wild Swan,” segueing into the more sophisticated stories for adults: “The Red Shoes,” “The Girl Who Trod on the Loaf,” “The Goblin and the Grocer” and “The Bell.”

Part of the charm of the annotated series is context. This volume is no exception, whetting the appetite with the Introduction, “Denmark’s Perfect Wizard,” which addresses Andersen’s genius, a Dane born over 200 years ago whose tales continue to inflame, titillate and amuse. Nor does Anderson shy away from provocative subjects: compassion (“The Little Match Girl”), hypocrisy (“The Emperor’s New Clothes”), and the necessity of hope (“The Ugly Duckling”).

Manipulating our imaginations through the texture and color of language, darker issues are dressed in sparkling prose and brilliant hue (“a purple flower with light streaming from its calyx”). It is such evocative language that seduces young and old alike into the magical world of the fairy tale, providing subconscious lessons on the vagaries of human behavior, the undiluted power of storytelling a means of universal communication.

Detailed illustrations and specific annotations offer a depth of perspective that is common to this series, an exploration of social consciousness through tales couched in the visual and the arcane, a juxtaposition of morality and fantasy. The reader is challenged to examine preconceptions, to immerse himself in a world of expanded imagination where stories never grow old.

Young readers book reviews for ages 8 to 12 years old

click here to browse children's board book reviews
click here to browse children's picture book reviews
click here to browse young readers book reviews
click here to browse young readers book reviews
click here to browse young adult book reviews
click here to browse parenting book reviews
 
web reviews
  Luan Gaines/2007 for curled up with a good kid's book  






For grown-up fiction, nonfiction and speculative fiction book reviews,
visit our sister site Curled Up With a Good Book (www.curledup.com)