In The Little Match Girl, a barefoot girl tries unsuccessfully to make money for her family by selling matches on the street. Afraid to go home empty-handed and face her father's wrath, she decides to take shelter in an alley for the night and lights matches to keep herself warm. The harsh realism of this story reminds listeners to be grateful and kind during the cold holiday season.
Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was a Danish writer and author of many notable books including The Snow Queen. He specialized in writing fairytales that were inspired by tales he had heard as a child. As his writing evolved his fairytales became more bold and out of the box. Andersen's stories have been translated into more than 125 languages and have inspired many plays, films and ballets.
Date of Birth:
April 2, 1805
Date of Death:
August 4, 1875
Place of Birth:
Odense, Denmark
Place of Death:
Copenhagen, Denmark
Read an Excerpt
It was nearly nightfall. The shoeless orphan girl blinked away thick white snowflakes falling in her eyes. Everyone in the great city was bundled and busy, heads down, eyes fixed on the black cobblestones peeking up through packed snow. A passing wagon spewed freezing slush across the child's loosely wrapped feet. Out of the way, its wheels grumbled. But the shivering girl was not afraid and did not step back. She stood silently, holding out all she had in the world—a bundle of wooden matches—saved for selling this Christmas Eve.
