It's time again for another addition to the Little People, BIG DREAMS series.

I absolutely adore this series. These bite sized books give you enough non-fiction fodder to teach children (and adults!) all about famous people. This time around, Hans Christian Andersen.

So, I know a wee bit about this guy (famous fairy tale author), but I didn't know much! I was thoroughly looking forward to learn a little bit more about him without having to do some crazy research. Why not use an illustrated children's series to learn some more? It's a great resource and medium to learn from!

This book does give you a good background on Hans. The man is from Denmark and he had an interesting career path before he wrote his own stories. I wish there was a little more meat to the story though. It only gave two pieces of information to go off of... It was quite short and stale, compared to the other books in this series.

I think reading the little biographies through this medium is excellent! Honestly, I love getting to learn more from these books. When I was a kid, I would have eaten these books up (not literally... that sounds like a book Hans might write, eek).

My biggest comment for this one: The pictures are WEIRD. Normally, the illustrations vary from book to book. Sometimes they are beautiful, sometimes they aren't the best, but this one was down right weird. I know this guy was a bit of an odd ball (look at the stories he wrote) but... it kind of sat weird with me. This is definitely someone's style and vibe, but not mine!

Two out of five stars. This book didn't give as much as the rest of this series did. It kind of let me down! I want more content. This felt watered down and lacked a lot of content.

Thank you to NetGalley, Quarto Publishing Group and Frances Lincoln Children's Books for providing me a free copy of this book in exchange of an honest review. ( )

‘’The whole world is a series of miracles, but we're so used to them we call them ordinary things.
Hans Christian Andersen

A poor boy from Denmark has barely food to eat but his family keeps a treasure inside a cupboard. A book. But this is no ordinary book. It is a volume of fairytales. Arabian Nights fills his dreams with tales of faraway lands and wondrous deeds. But reality is cruel. The young boy has to work to help his mother when his father dies and entertains her with imaginative puppet shows.

‘’To move, to breathe, to fly, to float,
To gain all while you give,
To roam the roads of lands remote,
To travel is to live.’’
Hans Christian Andersen

He started as an artist, returned to school, and began writing stories that were born out of his vivid imagination and gentle soul. When his heart broke, he created an antidote to his pain. He gave us some of the most beautiful and saddest fairy tales.

‘’But a mermaid has no tears, and therefore she suffers so much more.’’
Hans Christian Andersen

‘’She laughed and danced with the thought of death in her heart.’’
Hans Christian Andersen

The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, The Snow Queen, The Little March Girl, The Nightingale, The Red Shoes, The Wild Swans.

His tales have accompanied the nights and dreams of millions of children all over the world and will continue to be a part of our lives for generations to come.

One of the most important offspring of beautiful Denmark. His name? Hans Christian Andersen.

‘’If you looked down to the bottom of my soul, you would understand fully the source of my longing and – pity me. Even the open, transparent lake has its unknown depths, which no divers know.’’
Hans Christian Andersen

Many thanks to Frances Lincoln Children’s Books and NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

My reviews can also be found on https://theopinionatedreaderblog.wordpress.com/ ( )

The story of this beloved storyteller's life has sadness, loss, overcoming and joy. Although he came from a family with a joy of reading, he was unable to finish school as a child and only was able to do so as a young man. From then on he put his dreams to paper and wrote stories that have been translated nearly everywhere and into every medium.
The illustrations are mostly simple and forthright with brilliant colors thanks to illustrator Maxine Lee-Mackie.
I requested and received a free temporary ebook from Quarto Publishing Group – Frances Lincoln Children's Books/Frances Lincoln Children's Books via NetGalley. Thank you! ( )