The Little Mermaid and Other Fairy Tales
Grade 4-7-Philip has collected and reexamined the translations of 17 of the author's stories that run the gamut from the overexposed "The Little Mermaid" to the virtually unknown "The Beetle." The retellings are smooth, offering Andersen's trademark colloquial charm, ironic humor, and painful observations balanced with spiritual aspirations. The book is lavishly designed with gold-tipped pages, thick paper, plenty of white space, patterned borders, and a number of full-colored plates for every tale. The most effective illustrations meld the natural elements-a toad or a bowl of fruit-with fantastically patterned and intensely colored borders. However, the pictures are occasionally overdesigned and overwhelm the simpler story lines. A splendid gift item for fans of Andersen or an additional purchase for library collections.Karen K. Radtke, Milwaukee Public LibraryCopyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.