The Magical World of Hans Christian Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen was a famous author born in Denmark in 1805. He was also a poet and was best known for his many children's stories such as "The Little Mermaid," "The Ugly Duckling," and "Thumbelina," to name a few. His wonderful, colorful, and fanciful stories were recognized all over the world and even lauded by royalty. Andersen's writings still capture the hearts and imaginations of children and adults today. As a young child, he worked to help support himself and had several different odd jobs. He even dabbled a bit in stage acting and singing, but soon discovered that writing was his true calling. Over the years he developed this calling and turned his natural talent into a successful writing career.

Today, even the names of Andersen's stories can play a part in every day language. For example, people refer to someone who is an outcast or unattractive as "the ugly duckling." Andersen influenced countless other writers and had a true impact on their writing style and themes. There is a statue of Hans Christian Andersen in Central Park in New York City. There are also several other statues commemorating the man and his work in places like Copenhagen, Poland, and Slovakia. The importance of his work can be understood through the many cultural influences it has had on literary students, authors, and fans of fairy tales.

• Andersen's Biography & Fairy Tales – A compilation of Andersen's fairy tale stories, including "The Little Mermaid," "The Snow Queen," "The Wild Swans," and "Thumbelina."
• Fairy Tales – A lesson plan based on Andersen's fairy tales, geared towards grades K-2.
• April 2nd – Use Andersen's birthday as a starting point for learning more about his life and works.
• Fairy Tale Quest – Online webquest that includes a section dedicated to Hans Christian Andersen.
• Lesson Plans – Several different lesson plans for teachers regarding the author and his work.
• Children’s Drawings – A gallery of drawings by children representing many of Andersen’s stories.
• Ugly Duckling Activities – School-themed activities in reference to the story “The Ugly Duckling.”
• The Little Match Girl – Some learning activities based on the popular Andersen tale.
• The Emperor’s New Clothes – Printables, coloring pages, and lesson plans.
• The Little Mermaid – A fun, colorful online lesson plan designed for first graders.
• Ugly Duckling Lesson Plans – More lesson plans for children about the story “The Ugly Duckling.”
• Elementary School Plans – These lesson plans focus on fairy tales including Andersen’s, geared toward elementary school students.
• Andersen Fairy Tales – This website features games, fun stuff, information and more about Andersen’s stories.
• Learning About Andersen – Page features a downloadable PDF file of classroom activities.
• Andersen & Human Rights – This lesson plan explores “The Ugly Duckling” and its references to humanity and human rights.
• Fairy Tale Journey – A lesson plan that encourages students to get involved in storytelling and fairy tales.