In the middle of the wood is a little fir tree who thinks of one thing only – growing bigger. He takes no pleasure from life because he always thinks about how he is not as big as the other fir trees. So, when the little fir tree finally grows up, Christmas approaches and his destiny is turned upside down.

Joanna Lumley reads "The Snow Queen". One day, a diabolical troll builds a mirror that shows everything that is beautiful as ugly and all that is good as evil. Delighted, the trolls decided to carry this mirror to heaven and mock the angels, but on their way the mirror breaks and shatters into hundreds of pieces that spread across the world. Some bigger pieces are turned into windows and others are made into spectacles, but some of tiniest bits get stuck into people's eyes or in their hear...

There was once an emperor who was only interested in one thing, his clothes. He spent all his money on his outfits and had a different one for every time of day and every occasion. One day, two thieves arrived in town pretending to be weavers who knew how to make the most beautiful and sophisticated fabrics, which had the marvellous property of only being visible to those who did their job well.. It was the perfect offer for our king, who immediately placed an order.

My friend Ole was an intelligent curious man with a great deal of knowledge. He had never obtained what he wanted from Men so he retired and lived as a hermit, alone at the top of a church tower. I will tell you about some of the visits I made to him and try to recall his words as best I can.

On the death of his father, who was a rich merchant, the son inherited a vast fortune, which he quickly spent. He found himself alone with nothing except the dressing gown on his back and the slippers on his feet. A friend offered him a trunk and advised him to leave. But, this was a special trunk – it could fly! So, the young man decided to go to Turkey, where his dress would not be noticed, but that was just the beginning of his adventure.

I love listening to grandfather tell stories, but my favourite story is the story of the shields: according to grandfather, in a large town it was always practical to know how to get around using the shields that show who lives where and where certain shops can be found. So you cannot imagine the scenes he saw the day after the storm, during which all the shields were moved by the wind...

What is love? What does it take to love? Let Hans Christian Andersen's beloved characters show you what love could be, what it takes to love and how love can manifest itself in many different ways, shapes and form! A collection for the curious and empathetic young and adult readers.Contains the following fairy tales:- The Steadfast Tin Soldier- The Little Mermaid- The Ugly Duckling- The Shepherdess and the Chimney-Sweep- The Sweethearts

"One of you will be hanged, the second imprisoned, the third burned and the fourth turned upside down." This is how the children mocked the family of storks that lived on the roof. This frightened the chicks and, to reassure them, their mother spoke of the long journey they would soon take. And, who knows, perhaps one day they would have their revenge on the little tyrants who mocked them in their nest.

The windmill on the top of the hill swelled with pride whenever someone looked up at him. And even though he pretended not to be, he was very proud of himself as well!

There was once a theatre director who lived on an ocean liner and he was very happy. He was a theatre director and he carried all his actors in a small suitcase: they were puppets. He had always had a very joyful nature, but if he was especially happy today, it was thanks to an encounter with a young engineer...

Sir Michael Caine reads "Little Claus and Big Claus". There are two men called Claus in the town. To tell them apart, one is called Big Claus, because he has four horses and the other one is nicknamed Little Claus, because he only has one horse. This is their story.Sir Michael Caine is a British actor, writer, and producer who has appeared in films such as "The Muppet Christmas Carol" (1992), "Inception" (2010) and "Kingsman: The Secret Service" (2014).

Once upon a time there was a darning needle who thought it was a sewing needle. It was indeed very fine, so fine that one day it broke, but it was not yet over for the needle, nor its dreams.