I love reading fairy tales as they were originally told. They tend to be so much darker ( )

Now that I have a son, I have a renewed interest in children's books, particularly these great Puffin Classics editions, which are inexpensive but a pleasure to look at and read. This slim collection -- not comprehensive, by any means, spans the whole of Andersen's career, and are a mix of his most famous tales and some more obscure ones.

Reading these now, I am struck by how melancholy and quietly beautiful many of these stories are. Some of the later tales particularly stand out, probably because I had never read them before. These include a charming story about two snails wondering what it would be like to be cooked and served on a silver platter, as their ancestors were ("The Happy Family"), and a story about a goblin torn between the need for physical sustenance and sustenance of the soul ("The Goblin at the Grocer's"). But my favorite story remains "The Nightingale," about the power of music and the importance of freedom. I owned a beautifully illustrated version of that story as a child (I would love to find a copy now).

The notes in this edition are suppled by Jan Pienkowski, who can be over-effusive, even gushing, about the stories, but who does provide some insightful details about Andersen's life and why his fairy tales were so unique and enduring. There are also some reading comprehension exercises for younger readers. ( )

Includes: The Tinder-Box; The Princess and the Pea; Thumbelina; The Little Mermaid; The Emperor's New Clothes; The Steadfast Soldier; The Ugly Duckling; The Snow Queen; The Little Match-Girl