The Swineherd

by Hans Christian Andersen

Overview

In The Swineherd, a fairy tale by Hans Christian Andersen, a prince who disguises himself as a swineherd woos an arrogant princess. Sending her a nightingale and a rose, the princess rejects the humble gifts preferring the man-made over the real. The prince/swineherd creates a musical pot and charges the princess ten kisses for it. The princess trudges through the mud to pay one hundred kisses for his next creation, a musical rattle. A parable about the shallowness of earthly things.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9781974995394
Publisher:	Dreamscape Media
Publication date:	10/03/2017
Sold by:	Barnes & Noble
Format:	eBook
Pages:	32
File size:	367 KB
Age Range:	13 - 18 Years

About the Author

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

Editorial Reviews

It's probably the pinnacle of cheek to revise the works of a master like Andersen, but author/artist Hahn takes the gamble and wins. In her version, ``Hans'' narrates while a motley assortment of players (children, pigs and pets)--captured in sprightly, delicately colored drawings--act out the classic fairy tale. Their often humorous running commentary provides a visual counterpoint to the familiar story of the rejected prince who disguises himself as a swineherd and ultimately dumps a fickle princess. Here, however, the tale's ending causes a commotion, and after tears and a heated debate the characters submit a rewrite--``with all due respect, Hans.'' The final few pages picture a repentant swineherd/prince giving the humbled princess a second chance, vindicating any reader who has ever been unhappy with a book's original ending. Ages 5-up. (Sept.)

Publishers Weekly - Publisher's Weekly

K-Gr 2-- There are really three stories here. The simplified Andersen narrative is set into a frame story about how he wrote and told the tale to a group of children and animals (lots of pigs, of course). A second story takes place in the illustrations as those children and swine act it out. Finally, at the end of the ``play,'' the tearful actors insist on a rewrite that unites prince and princess in a truly happy ending. Hahn's illustrations, outlined in soft black and then done in muted browns, yellows, and greens, are reminiscent of Margot Zemach's work, although not as consistently effective. There is a certain childlike quality that is initially appealing, but all too often, crowded composition and the awkward placement of dialogue within the pictures may confuse and annoy readers; it detracts from the core story and also fails to develop the sense of ``play-acting.'' Overall, while the approach is fresh and creative, Hahn doesn't fully integrate the various elements seamlessly. Despite its flaws, this title will be useful in whole language classrooms and in libraries where there is an interest in alternate tellings of standard tales. --Linda Boyles, Alachua County Library District, Gainesville, FL

School Library Journal

Andersen and Zwerger's Swineherd enchants with an uncharacteristically (for him) funny resolution, courtesy of Bell's graceful translation, and her characteristically ethereal illustrations. The classic tale tells of a minor prince whose beautiful gifts of a rose and a nightingale are disparaged and his proposal of marriage rejected by the emperor's daughter. Undeterred, the prince takes a job tending the emperor's pigs. The clever but lowly swineherd creates magical toys for which he demands and receives kisses from the princess as payment. For this transgression, the irate emperor kicks them both out of the kingdom. The prince reveals himself but instead of living happily ever after, he rejects the silly princess for her shallowness. Zwerger's subdued ink wash-and-watercolor paintings charmingly depict royalty in not-so-very grand fashion, the pigs providing energetic counterpoint to the swags and frills of courtly dress. An amusing reversal of the usual prince-in-disguise story. (Picture book/fairy tale. 4-8)

Kirkus Reviews