Title: Andersen's Fairy Tales
The Shepherdess and the Sweep; The Emperor’s New Clothes; The Little Match Girl; The Princess and the Pea
Author: Hans Christian Andersen
Copyright Date: 1835
Number of Pages: 7; 6; 4; 2
Reading Level: 9+
Genre: Fairy Tales
Summary: The Emperor’s New Clothes
There was an Emperor who was excessively fond of clothes and had a different pair for every hour of the day. So the people would say instead of him doing things to help the land he would be in his dressing chamber. There came a time when some swindlers came professing that they were the finest clothes makers and that they would make the Emperor new clothes for a lot of silk and treasure. The swindlers set to work at once but using imaginary material to weave the Emperor’s new costumes. The Emperor wondered how the process was going and sent his faithful minister to check up on them. The minister was shocked that he could not see anything but did not want to be thought a fool so listened carefully to the swindlers when they described the cloth they were working with, the pattern and color. The Emperor again sent a faithful official to check up on the two men. He too could not see anything that the swindlers were holding. The official didn’t want to look a fool so he paid close attention to how the swindlers described the fine clothing they didn’t actually hold. Finally they finished and it was time for the Emperor to get his new clothes. They dressed him one false piece at a time and there was a grand parade to show off his new clothes. All pretended to see the fineness and craft of the clothes but it took a child to say “But he has nothing on.” Everyone then realized they weren’t fools but it was the truth. The Emperor pressed on although he knew what the child said was true.
Recommendation
Fairy tales should be shared because that is what their original purpose was when first told. I cannot imagine my childhood without fairy tales and would hope that every child could have at least one fairy tale read to them. I would recommend these fairy tales (especially the Emperor’s New Clothes) to a child who wants to have a giggle.
Problems/Conflict
I don’t see any problems with Andersen’s tales they seem lighthearted and fun.
My Reaction
I had always heard about The Emperor’s New Clothes but never read it for myself. It just cracks me up that an old man went parading through a town completely naked because no one was brave enough to say that there was nothing there.
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