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.

A woman wanted to have a child, but not knowing how to go about it, asked a witch for help. The witch gave her a barley seed and told her to plant it. No sooner had she done so than a large tulip grew. When it opened, the woman discovered a tiny girl, no bigger than her thumb. She called her Thumbelina.-

The Galoshes of Fortune have the power of carrying the person who wears them instantly to any time and place they desire – but is this really a good thing?

Aunt Mille has always told me that I have the soul of a great poet. I am not sure about this, but I love her so much that I do not dare contradict her. The reason I love her so much is that she always gave me and my brothers and sisters lots of sweets when we were little. Now that I am a student, I have my own apartment and sometimes Aunt Mille comes to visit. The other night, while she was sleeping in the next bedroom, I received a visit from another, much less pleasant, lady... Since the...

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...

An expedition was taking place to the other side of the sea: many boats had been sent to the North Pole to explore the sea and the ice. It was winter and over there the days ran into each other in perpetual darkness. The sailors were far from their family, their country and even from dry land. But the youngest sailor knew that he was not alone and that he never would be.

The Ugly Duckling (1842) tells the story of a duckling who is rejected by everyone, including his family, because he looks different. Tired of being made fun of, he decides to go far, far away, but the characters he meets on the way are no more tolerant...

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