A simple and short story of Hans Christian Andersen and his life. His life is told about him in a story he is telling to a little girl. The book gives a brief overview that would suit well for younger readers wanting to know who wrote some of their favorite fairy tales. The illustrations are beautifully drawn and make the text flow.

What an absolute delight! If I had more stars to give, I would. This is a beautifully illustrated and beautifully written perfect book full of light. It is told with enormous kindness and respect for the memory of Andersen and it will only leave you with the need to learn more and read more. I cannot wait to see what else both Heinz Janisch and Maja Kastelic work on in the future, and I will be definitely buying a copy of this for myself and my godchildren!

Hans Christian Andersen is one of my favorite storytellers. I love finding picture book biographies about authors that show how they became famous for their work. I think it is very encouraging for our young writers to see where ideas come from. Reading this book made me think of the movie I watched as a kid. I have loved Hans Christian Andersen stories ever since.

This was an unusual format for a biography, and it worked very well for the subject at hand. This piece of narrative nonfiction introduces us to the subject, Hans Christian Anderson, from the point of view of Hans Christian Anderson as he introduces himself to a child he's just met on a carriage ride. There is an end note that includes a brief biography. The illustrations are bright and cheerful and the text is both engaging and readable. I'd add it to my library when it becomes available.

A really good biography of Hans Christian Andersen. The wordless first page threw me, but as soon as a chirpy girl asks questions of him while they share a stagecoach to Copenhagen, we get a dialogue heavy picture book, that has some of the narrative qualities of a graphic novel. The text sometimes breaks away from what are more or less quick captions to a larger chunk of words, but it's all pleasantly pitched for the young reader, and even I as an adult didn't know how Andersen had started in courtly theatres and stage performances. The art is really charming, and when a certain question lets us visit several of the man's more well-loved stories, shows this illustrator could easy be called on to design books of any one of them. It's no surprise this volume's creators have both won major awards in their careers – this smacks of class and a knowledge of what their audiences love. And adults coming here will only love the moral presented at the end of the afterword, as well. Wish I knew what all the 'Easter eggs' are, though.

Thank you for the opportunity to read and review this title.

We are a family who loves fairy tales so I was very excited to read this one. It did not disappoint and I will reading it with my kids asap as well as recommending it to my other fairy tale loving friends!

I thought I knew the story of Hans Christian Anderson, but this cute, lovely illustrated picture book proved me wrong. I had never heard that he wanted to be an actor, or that his father was a cobbler.

The story, told from the point of view of the author to a young child, with both scenes of his life, as well as scenes from his many stories. The scenes of his childhood are colored in sepia tone, while his stories are in full color.

The little girl, in the book, asks the sort of questions that a child might have, such as "what happened next".

A good introduction to the author's life, for young children.

Thanks to Netgalley for making this book available for an honest review.

Disclaimer: Arc via Netgalley

Janisch and Kastelic’s children’s book about the life Hans Christian Andersen is well done and beautifully illustrated.
Janisch structures the story as one that Andersen himself is telling to a young girl as they ride to Copenhagen together in a carriage. The biography is very like Andersen’s “Fairy Tale of My life”. While the biography might be on the simplistic side, it is good and far from general. Andersen’s father’s PTSD is shown. The story of Andersen’s arrival in Copenhagen is showcased with its brave strangeness. Andersen’s complex relationship with the Collins’ family, in particular Edvard, is not dealt with, but this is a children’s book so not that surprising; how could it be in such a format.
Kastelic’s illustrations are beautiful. Not only do they showcase Odense and Copenhagen, but there are little details drawn from the tales. The style itself also reminds one of Andersen’s own tales.
Highly recommended.

This book is so well done....Oh my god!
I freaking love this book so much! Get me the physical copy already!

The book is narrated with sophistication that it's just impossible not to get lost in it from the first page itself.
The artstyle is breathtaking. Combine all the most beautiful Disney moments of your life and imagine how beautiful the illustrations in this book is! I am so reliving all the best Disney moments of my life with this book.
The writing is impeccable, will touch your innermost soul and you will fall in love with beautiful memories all over again.
There are moments you will cry; there are moments you actually want to hug the narrator so many times and tell him he's being still loved by many today. You will get to know who had the most influence in his life and what shaped his life; the inevitable circumstances, the theatre and the art, the books and the readings, the war, the important people in his life and most importantly some of the most important life-changing moments that most of us aren't aware of. There are titbits of his most popular tales he had written towards the end of the book.

I appreciate the author's note. It's such an eye-opener.

Thank you #NetGalley for the book!

I received an advanced reader copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via netgalley and the publishers.

This is a beautifully written and illustrated book about Hans Christian Andersen. The story unfolds as Hans is in a coach travelling with a little girl called Elsa and her mother. He tells the girl about his life, the ups and downs, hardships and fortunes, and of the stories he created and how they all are in a way like experiences hes had.
This really is a beautifully put together book and I loved it. Fans of any Hans Christian Andersen's books will adore this.

What a delightful account of Hans Christian Andersen's life! His story, as told here to a young girl in a carriage, is as full of heartbreak and enchantment as any of his fairy tales. Born to a poor cobbler and an impoverished family, Hans left at 14 to pursue a career on stage. Though he did not become a successful actor, Hans did find success as a storyteller and became famous. A lovely story with beautiful illustrations, this brief narrative will definitely make you want to curl up with a collection of Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tales after reading.

This was an interesting children's-oriented biography and I learned plenty about Anderson. I’m familiar with his stories, but didn’t know much about his life. I loved how the illustrations shifted between neutrals and colors, to more elaborate illustrations to showcase fairy tales. I read this via NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher.

Hans Christian Andersen - The Journey of His Life by Heinz Janisch is the beautiful story of the Danish writer's life, from his humble beginnings as a shoemaker's son, to one of the most beloved and prolific children's authors of all time. Narrated in the voice of Hans himself, the writer joins a little girl named Elsa and her mother in a carriage as the trio embark on a shared journey to Copenhagen. On the way, Hans entertains young Elsa with stories of his own experience of making his way in a world that was often cruel, to his ultimate destiny of imagining and writing some of the most fantastical and enduring fairy tales ever written. I have many fond memories of my mother reading these tales to me as a child, and I virtually hung on each and every magical word. The illustrations imagined by Maja Kastelic are simply sublime, and I was transported back to a time of innocence and wonder. This is a truly beautiful story that I would be thrilled to share with anyone who is longing to recapture some of the magic of childhood.

Many thanks to NetGalley and North South Books Inc. for the opportunity to read this lovely book.

*Thank you to the Publisher for a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I may be an adult, but this little book truly moved my imagination. I received a beautifully illustrated Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale collection for my fifth birthday and grew up reading these magical tales over and over again. Yet, I never knew a thing about the author, even though I happen to live and study in Copenhagen right now.

This book gives children a unique opportunity to learn about their favorite author - one which I didn't have until now. Not only does it give a solid background to the tales, but it is also a very motivational story. Through wonderfully illustrated pages of this book, we learn that Andersen came from an impoverished family and became wealthy and accomplished through his own hard work and determination. This is the kind of message I want to be reading to children; as an ESL tutor for little kids, I know very well just how much TV shows and books shape the young minds.

The only suggestion I have is that in the story and illustrations, Andersen and the little girl Elsa have a bit of a strange relationship when read with the contemporary times in mind. He holds her hand at the beginning of the tale when they had just met, for example. This is not an appropriate message, nor something I would like to expose children to.

All in all, I would highly recommend this book to any young fans of some of the most beautiful classical fairy tales - and the parents, too.

Such a cute and fascinating little book. I wanted a bit more from it, the story itself was quite short. The art was lovely though and my fascination with Hans Christian Anderson has definitely been ignited.