Puffin Classics: the definitive collection of timeless stories, for every child

Rediscover the Puffin Classics collection and bring the best-loved classics to a new generation - including this charming edition of Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales.

This enchanting collection, retold by writer and critic Naomi Lewis, contains twelve of Hans Christian Andersen's magnificent stories. It includes Thumbelina, a little girl no more than a thumb-joint high, The Emperor's New Clothes, the tale of a man who cares only for his appearance and The Little Mermaid, who longs to one day marry a human prince.

The Puffin Classics series is a perfect marriage of the old and the new. Enjoy some of the best books from the past and find out why and how they inspired some of the best writers of the present—Julia Eccleshare, LoveReading4Kids

Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was born in Odense, Denmark, son of a shoemaker and a washerwoman. He was the first writer to take the folk tale as a literary genre and create new stories, such as 'The Emperor's New Clothes', 'The Little Mermaid', 'The Ugly Duckling' and 'The Snow Queen'. His influence on children's literature is inestimable, yet his stories work on many levels. He died in Copenhagen in 1875. Jan Pienkowski was born in Warsaw in 1936. After creating his first book at the age of eight, Jan went on to excel in his chosen field of design, working in such diverse areas as television, theatre and greetings cards. Published in 1968, A Necklace of Raindrops was the first of several wonderful collaborations between Jan and Joan Aiken - and it was also the very first book Jan illustrated. For over forty years, he has also worked on the Meg and Mog books. He has since twice won the Kate Greenaway Medal for Illustration, and has created many instantly recognizable classics.