41 h 56 minAudiobook7 minSummaryRead it, hear it, the 15-minute summary, and print and large print at cost
Audiobook edition · 41 h 56 minPaperback · 6 × 9 in · printing soonHardcover · 6 × 9 in · printing soonAbout this book
A mermaid gives up her voice, a toy soldier stands firm, and a vain emperor trusts the wrong people.
In Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen, longing and danger reach from the sea king's coral palace to an emperor's wardrobe. The Little Mermaid hopes to win a prince and a soul. In The Emperor's New Clothes, a ruler's love of clothes leaves him open to two swindlers and their extraordinary promise.
The Snow Queen follows Gerda as she sets out alone across the north to find Kay, whose heart turns cold. The Ugly Duckling searches for a home, while The Steadfast Tin Soldier faces danger. Andersen gives the small and overlooked a voice, telling their stories with jokes, warmth and sudden sadness.
What you’ll discover
- Longing beneath the sea Enter the Little Mermaid's world, where curiosity about human life leads to a painful choice.
- Pride inside the palace Watch vanity meet deception as an emperor puts his faith in cloth no fool can see.
- Love against the cold Follow Gerda's brave search for Kay through a tale of friendship and a cruel mirror.
- Lives easily overlooked Meet Thumbelina, the duckling and the tin soldier, each facing a world with little room for them.
- Ordinary things that feel Discover teapots, toys, flowers and needles whose thoughts and feelings give small things large meanings.
Who will love it
Readers who love fables, fairy tales and bedtime stories, parents and grandparents who read aloud, and anyone who enjoys wit, kindness and wonder in richly pictured tales of every size.
What’s inside
The key ideas, in the 15-minute summary
- Andersen gives voices to small proud things
- A mermaid gives up her voice for love
- Vanity and pretense meet gentle laughter
- Toys and trees carry hopes and losses
- Gerda's loyal heart faces the cold
- Silence and sacrifice protect the people we love
- Outsiders keep searching for a place to belong
- The poor are seen with pity and humor
- Faith, memory and wonder run through the book
Who’s who
- The Little MermaidThe youngest sea princess, quiet and dreamy, longs for the human world above the waves and for a soul that lives forever.
- KayGerda's playmate, whose heart and sight are changed by a splinter from a hobgoblin's broken mirror.
- The EmperorA ruler so fond of new clothes that he spends all his money on them and fears looking foolish.
- ElizaA princess who must spin eleven coats from nettles and keep silent to rescue her eleven brothers.
- The Tin SoldierA one-legged toy soldier who loves a paper dancer and faces every danger without blinking.
- The Ugly DucklingA large gray bird hatched in a duck's nest, mocked by everyone and searching for a home.
Formats and delivery
- eBook
- On your phone, tablet, computer or Kindle, with the type as large as you like.
- Large-print eBook
- The same book in bigger, clearer type, from the first page.
- Audiobook
- 41 h 56 min, complete, read by Lucas Linden.
- 15-minute summary
- The key ideas in about 7 minutes, to read or to hear.
- Paperback
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Hardcover
- 6 × 9 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print paperback
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
- Large print hardcover
- 8.5 × 11 in. Printing soon: leave your email under Paperback or Hardcover above.
eBooks and audiobooks open right away. Download EPUB or PDF, or send the book to your Kindle. Every printed copy is made when you order it and shipped worldwide; shipping is shown at checkout.
How it works
- Start free. Nothing to pay today; the eBook of this book is yours to keep.
- Read, listen and print. 200,000+ classics as eBook, large-print eBook, audiobook and 15-minute summary, and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print, 5 accounts for the price of one.
- We remind you first. Free for 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment. Then 0,14 USD a day in your first year on the yearly plan and 0,27 USD a day after, or 0,66 USD a day on the monthly plan. Cancel online in two clicks.
Bought on its own? Every eBook, audiobook and printed book you buy without the plan carries our 30-day money-back guarantee.
25 languages, side by side
Read and hear Cuentos de hadas de Hans Christian Andersen in 25 languages and switch at any time. Or read two side by side, paragraph by paragraph: the way to learn a language with a book you love.
Cuentos de hadas de Hans Christian Andersen
A little mermaid trades her voice for legs, and an emperor's court praises cloth no one can see.
ChallengingOver 20 hours to read25 languages
Excellent
- Read or listen
- 25 languages, side by side
- Print and large print at cost
- 5 accounts for the price of one
Free for 3 months · starts right away, on any device
Read free3 months free · cancel anytimeFree for 3 months, then 0,14 USD a dayCancel anytimeHow it works
In short
Can a clock, a fir tree, a tin soldier or a rosebush have a story worth hearing? In Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen, the Danish writer H.
From the 15-minute summary · Key idea 1
Andersen gives voices to small proud things
A darning needle decides she is too fine for any work, and a snail declares that the world means nothing to him.
Many tales begin with a grand opinion held by a humble creature. The apple branch in a countess's vase pities the dandelions in the field, until a sunbeam kisses both alike. The buckwheat refuses to bow in a thunderstorm and stands stiff and proud.
Free for 3 months · Cancel anytime
Free gifts
580 USD in free gifts when you start
Every book in every format and in 25 languages, 5 accounts for the price of one. Nothing to pay today.
- 200,000+ classic eBooksIn 25 languages, side by side
170 USDFREE - Every audiobookIn 25 languages, any device
120 USDFREE - 15-minute summariesRead or listen, in 25 languages
60 USDFREE - Print at cost, no markupPaperback, hardcover, large print
60 USDFREE - 5 accounts for the price of oneA shelf for everyone at home
170 USDFREE - A part in rebuilding the libraryNew languages and books for all
FREE
Questions about Cuentos de hadas de Hans Christian Andersen
Can I read it free?
Yes. The first key idea of the 15-minute summary is free with no sign-up. Start free and the whole book is yours for 3 months, with the eBook to keep, plus 200,000+ more classics and any book printed at cost as a paperback, hardcover or large print. Nothing to pay today: we email you 7 days before your first payment, and you can cancel online in two clicks.
Can I buy the printed book?
Soon. The paperback, hardcover and large print editions are being prepared. Choose Paperback or Hardcover above, leave your email, and we tell you the day you can order it, printed at cost.
How many accounts do I get?
Five, for the price of one: you and 4 more people, each with their own login, shelf and their own place in every book.
Can I cancel anytime?
Yes. Cancel online in two clicks at any time and nothing more is charged. Nothing is charged in your first 3 months, and we email you 7 days before your first payment.
What is Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen about?
It is a large collection of short tales by the Danish author H. C. Andersen. They range from The Little Mermaid and The Snow Queen to comic stories about talking objects, animals and plants.
Which famous stories are in this collection?
It includes The Emperor's New Clothes, The Ugly Duckling, The Little Mermaid, The Snow Queen, Thumbelina, The Princess and the Pea, The Little Match Seller, The Brave Tin Soldier and The Nightingale.
Are these stories meant for children or adults?
Both can enjoy them. Children love the talking creatures and quick adventures, while grown readers notice the wit, the gentle satire and the deeper feeling beneath each tale.
The author
Hans Christian Andersen
1805–1875 · Danish fairy tale writer
Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish writer and poet born in Odense, Denmark, in 1805. He moved to Copenhagen in 1819 and died there in 1875. He wrote fairy tales, novels, poems, plays, and accounts of his travels. His first collection of fairy tales appeared in 1835.
More by H. C. Andersen
All 5 booksMore like this
Our mission
The library burned once. We are building it back.
Every great book, in every language and every format, for every family. Every plan helps pay for new languages, new audiobooks and books for readers who have never had them. Join the movement.
Read our story- Every language25 languages today, side by side, and more every year
- No wastePrinted on demand: no warehouses, no unsold stock, no pulped copies
- For everyonePaperback, hardcover and large print at the cost of printing
