Media: water colors.
Use: belief in a higher being.
Genre: folklore.

A girl named the Little Match Girl is trying to sell matches but then she isn't able to because it is getting to late at night. She falls asleep in the freezing snow with her candles because she doesn't want to go back home to her abusive father. The candles in her hands transport her elsewhere. Each candle was magical. She sees her dead grandmother, a rainbow, a goose, a glorious Christmas tree, etc. She is found in the morning frozen. Did she die? ( )

The Little Match Girl, illustrated by Anastassija Archipowa.

Originally published in 1845, as part of the Dansk Folkekalender for 1846, Anderson's tale of The Little Match Girl - in which a young match-seller freezes to death one wintry night - is an original fairy-tale set in the (then) present-day, rather than some mythical past. I am always reminded, when reading it, of Andersen's great admiration for the English author Charles Dickens, as it is clearly a work of overt social commentary, touching upon issues such as poverty, child labor, and child abuse. Sadly, these ills are still with us, making the story as relevant as ever...

This edition, retold by Christine San José and illustrated by Anastassija Archipowa, is one of the most visually arresting versions I have had the pleasure of reading. The luminous watercolor paintings involve the reader in their world: the windows actually glow, the young girl's wan face looks genuinely pained, and her fingers and toes frozen. I can't say I cared as much for San José's retelling, or for the "rainbow" scene at the end, but otherwise Archipowa's illustrations are among my favorites! ( )