Today is the birthday, in 1805, of Hans Christian Anderson, Danish author and poet most known for his over 150 fairy tales. These didn't always have happy endings. I know people who still haven't gotten over The Little Match Girl. Of course, Disney changed the ending of The Little Mermaid so there's always that route.
He didn't really look much like Danny Kaye, but probably couldn't have sung "Thumbelina" as well, either. (Great, now I've got that stuck in my head.)
Because of Christian's fame it is also known as International Children's Book Day.
There are many great editions of his work, but this would be a good place to start:
The Annotated Hans Christian Anderson translated by Maria Tatar.
There are also, of course, many single editions of his tales. I like Zwerger's The Little Mermaid and Thumbeline.
What are some of your favorites?
