The tale of Hans Christian Andersen's rages to riches life. Includes allusions to his stories (such as the Snow Queen). Young writers or those who have enjoyed Andersen's stories will likely enjoy this book.

A good overview of Andersen's life with charming illustrations.

This delightful, beautifully illustrated graphic novel shares Hans Christian Andersen's life story. Within the fictional framing device, he is riding in a carriage with a little girl and her mother, and begins telling this girl the fairy tale of his life. I found the narrow font difficult to read at times, and some of the transitions are a bit abrupt, but this is a wonderful introduction to this storyteller. The illustrations are radiant, with different colors and tones representing varied emotions, and in addition to sharing biographical information about Andersen, this book also summarizes of some of his best-known works.

This will appeal to anyone who likes history, fairy tales, rags-to-riches stories, graphic novels, and inspiring, imaginative tales. I really enjoyed this book, and even though I wasn't sure what I would think of the fictionalized elements of this story, the framing device works well and gives Andersen a delightful narrative voice in this book, telling his story to a child.

I remember reading a dry, boring, and drably illustrated biography of Andersen when I was a child, and I am glad that this book exists now to capture his life with soaring colors, creativity, and hopefulness. This is a great book, and readers shouldn't let the fictional elements turn them off from this appealing historical graphic novel.

It was so interesting learning about Hans Christian Andersen's life, which before this I knew nothing about! A lovely biography giving a light history of Hans life, accompanied by magical illustrations.

And now I want to go and read all his stories - some were mentioned that I had never ever heard of before!

"The most wonderful fairy tale is life itself. " Hans Christian Anderson With this quote Heinz Janisch sets the stage and takes us on a journey in which we learn of the many hardships Hans Christian Anderson endured as a young child.. Yet his father repeatedly took time to sit with him and read fairy tales. These fairy tales gave him the wings and courage to create new worlds for himself. As a young teen he went off on his own pursuing his dream to work in the theater.. Using the misfortune he saw around him and the struggles he had he was able to create fairy tales that allowed for escape. His own and that of future generations. Thumbelina was born out of his own feelings of being tiny and helpless. He dreamed of flying away to a better place. The story of The Ugly Duckling was the story of his own life. As he grew he went from being the son of a poor cobbler to a world renown author. Truly life is the most wonderful fairy tale.
#NewFromNorthSouth #NetGalley
The publisher lists the books as appropriate for ages 4-8, I think it could also be very useful in a creative writing class which urges students to use their own experiences when they write.

I've always loved reading the work of Hans Christian Andersen. Admittedly, some of his takes I find annoying or ridiculous, but tales such as <em>The Little Mermaid</em> and <em>Thumbelina</em> have always held a special place in my heart. While I'll definitely say that some of his stories haven't aged well, namely the ones in which women are merely objects to be won and married, others have been immortalized over the years and for very good reason. For me, Heinz Janisch's--illustrated by Maja Kastelic--<em>Hans Christian Andersen The Journey of His Life</em> is a beautiful, cotton candy whimsical-esque biography for all ages.

Andersen refers to his life as a fairytale of its own. He is always filled with magic and whimsy, and this shines through expertly in this very fanciful collection of pages. You truly feel as though you are taking a journey into the mind of this incredible storyteller as he relates the truths of his life to a young girl whilst sharing a carriage journey together.

The illustrations are perfect for the story that the author weaves, capturing the true essence of the man and the work that he gave to the world. It also does an exceptional job of keeping readers engaged and will do well, I think, at capturing the attention of young readers in addition to adults. In many ways, you feel brought along on a magical journey through important moments and different fairytales as the story progresses. It's almost as though you are riding along in a flying trunk.

I had a great time reading this book. Though I will say that it is not something I imagine myself reading often, it is definitely the sort of book I think would be fun to have around when I have children. Hans Christian Andersen gave the world a great deal of joy from his stories and I do not doubt that he will continue to do so for longer than I could fathom.

<em>I was provided a free copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.</em>

This review will go live on the Reader Fox blog on May 31, 2020.

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.

I loved this book. As a child reader who ate up all of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales, getting a look into his life through the eyes of a little girl was an awesome way to tell this story, and the illustrations paired beautifully.

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.

With beautiful artwork and a growing friendship, this book hides it's biographical format behind a well written narrative. While many children no longer know who Hans Christian Andersen was, this book will allow them to recognize his work as the basis of movies and books that are very familiar to them. The shortened summaries of his stories may send them in search of his works, so they can compare what they know to "the real thing", the original story.

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.