L.W. Kingsland Book order

A new selection of 30 tales. At a time when children’s stories were formal, moral and didactic, Hans Christian Andersen revolutionized the genre, giving an anarchic twist to traditional folklore and creating a huge number of utterly original stories that sprang directly from his imagination. From the exuberant early stories such as ‘The Emperor’s New Clothes’, though poignant masterpieces such as ‘The Little Mermaid’ and ‘The Ugly Duckling’, to the darker, more subversive later tales written for adults, the stories included here are endlessly experimental, both humorous and irreverent, sorrowful and strange. This book – beautifully illustrated with a selection of Andersen’s amazing paper cut-outs - will bring these magical tales to life for readers of any age.

‘You must get away tonight,’ the man had told him. David escapes from the concentration camp where he has spent his entire life and flees across Europe. He is utterly alone – who can he trust? What will await him? And all the while, how can he be sure that they won’t catch up with him . . . This is the remarkable story of David’s introduction to the world: sea, mountains and flowers, the colours of Italy, the taste of fruit, people laughing and smiling, all are new to David. David learns that his polite manner, his haunted eyes and his thin features are strange to other people. He must learn to fend for himself in this strange new world. This is The Boy in the Striped Pyjamas meets Jonathan Safran Foer for children. An incredible story of survival against all odds and self discovery.