A collection of twelve fairy-tales, translated and compiled by Neil Philip, and illustrated by Isabelle Brent, this volume is an ideal choice for the young child first approaching Hans Christian Andersen's work as an independent reader. With an engaging, colloquial text, and beautiful gold-toned illustrations and page-borders, it has both visual and narrative appeal, and its limited scope will not intimidate the beginning reader in the same way a "complete tales" edition might.

From the extremely brief The Princess and the Pea, in which a princess unknowingly passes a test to determine whether she is true royalty, to Andersen's seven-chapter masterpiece, The Snow Queen, in which young Gerda pursues and rescues her friend Kay from the icy reign of reason, these tales are given a full and complete translation by Philip, who discusses their conversational tone in his introduction. Here too is Thumbelina, that tale of a diminutive heroine who must escape a number of unsuitable suitors, and The Wild Swans - always one of my favorites - in which Elisa must save her eleven brothers from the curse place upon them by their wicked stepmother. Andersen's Chinese fantasy, The Nightingale, and his story of The Ugly Duckling, round out the first half of the collection, which seems to focus on his most well-known tales.

The rest of the selections are probably less familiar to the casual reader, although Andersen fans will undoubtedly recognize them. The Shepherdess and the Chimney Sweep, in which two porcelain figurines fall in love, is another of those Andersen tales - like The Steadfast Tin Solider or The Old House - in which sentient toys play an important role. The Shadow follows the odd story of a philosopher who is supplanted by his shadow, while It's Perfectly True is an exploration of the way in which stories are exaggerated and distorted over time. Grief is a brief and pointed tale highlighting the idea that what is trivial or silly to one, can be immensely meaningful to another; and Father's Always Right - one of the few of these tales taken from folklore - follows a farmer's series of trades, all of which find favor with his wife. Finally, The Snowman relates the tale of a snowman who falls in love with a stove.

An engaging range of selections, and a capable translator ensure that this collection is a success. I cannot say I cared overmuch for Brent's human figures, save the more stylized portraits, but otherwise her artwork is simply gorgeous. All in all, a lovely little book, sure to appeal to Andersen fans, and fairy-tale readers. ( )

This anthology of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales is wonderful. With such classics as "The Princess and the Pea", "The Snow Queen", and "The Ugly Duckling" this is a quintessential fairy tale collection. The illustrations were by far one of my favorite parts of the whole book. The illustrations brought familiar tales to life with beautiful jewel tone paintings and gold leaf. Neil Philip's translation and adaptation is easy to follow and engaging as well.

This is a great book that represents Hans Christian Andersen's stories in an accurate manner. The pages are edged with gold, and the illustrations are quite beautiful, decorated with gold leaf. The dust jacket indicates that "Neil Philip's sparkling translation aims to capture Andersen's relaxed, conversational style" which was quite well done. It some of Hans Christian Andersen's well known fairy tales such as "The Princess and the Pea" and the "Ugly Duckling" along with other not so familiar tales like "The Shadow" and "Father Knows Best." Although it has not won any awards I found this book very enjoyable to read.