Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875) was a Danish writer who published his first fairy tales in 1835. Unlike the Brothers Grimm, who collected folk tales, Andersen invented most of his stories himself, and many of them have become as familiar as any traditional tale.
His fairy tales are full of feeling: a duckling teased for being different, a one-legged tin soldier who stays brave through every danger, and a child who is the only one willing to tell the truth. Each story below has its own page with a short summary and the full read-aloud.
New to Andersen? Start with The Princess and the Pea for younger listeners, or The Ugly Duckling for a story to talk about.
The Stories
Tap a title to read the full text and watch its read-aloud.