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    The Little Mermaid
    The Little Mermaid
    The Little Mermaid
    Ebook34 pages37 minutes

    The Little Mermaid

    By Hans Christian Andersen

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    About this ebook

    Andersen's fairy tales, which have been translated into more than 125 languages, have become culturally embedded in the West's collective consciousness, readily accessible to children, but presenting lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity for mature readers as well. This title is part of Andersen's Fairy Tales, Volume 2, published by Dreamscape Media. LLC.
    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherDreamscape Media
    Release dateJun 27, 2017
    ISBN9781974996643
    Author

    Hans Christian Andersen

    Hans Christian Andersen was a Danish author and poet best remembered for his fairy tales, both original and retold, including the beloved classics "Thumbelina," "The Emperor's New Clothes," "The Fir Tree," "The Steadfast Tin Soldier," "The Princess and the Pea," "The Red Shoes," "The Ugly Duckling," and "The Snow Queen." 

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    Reviews for The Little Mermaid

    4/5

    205 ratings13 reviews

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    • 2/5
      This is the original Anderson story, much sadder than the Disney version, in an edition produced in Denmark for English-language tourists. There is a very nice introduction by Erik Dal which describes Anderson's life which sympathy and honesty (some of his poetry is "astonishingly bad," though some poems are in the hearts of all Danes as much as the fairytales) and converys well the Danish feeling for the impact of his use of simple, natural language (rather like the theory, if not the practice, of Wordsworth.) The illustrations are selections from famous versions by a number of different illustrators, the Danes Pederson and Frolich and Bang, the French Dargent, the Russian Bunin, Arthur Rackham and Richard Bennet, even Japanese and Chinese versions, among others.
    • 1/5
      Hans, Hans, Hans, you sick fuck.I haven't read the Disney version but I bet it ain't nothing like this.The original (translated) version includes:The cutting out of a tongueThreats of murderBlack milk coming out of a witches breastHierarchy of sisterly beautyMarital possessivenessAnd perhaps most disturbingly of all, the overall message as explained in the final paragraph:"Unseen, we glide into human homes where there are children, and whenever we find a good child, one who makes its parents happy and deserves their love [because obviously some children don't deserve love], God shortens our time of trial. The child never knows when we fly through the room; if its goodness makes us smile with pleasure, a year is taken from the three hundred. But if we see a naughty, evil child, then we must weep tears of sorrow, and each tear adds one day more to our time of waiting."Now kiddies, your bedtime story is over. SLEEP TIGHT.None of this is a sleight on the translator and artist of this particular version, who both did an excellent job. The pastel drawings by Christian Birmingham are evocative and beautiful, and the large format of this volume invites lengthy gazing. My question is rather, how has this story survived? Of all the stories that might be readapted, time and time again, why this one?
    • 3/5
      This was OK, but I didn't like the ending. It felt like the author couldn't figure out how to end it, so he just pulled something out of the "air." (That's a pun that goes along with the story ;))
    • 3/5
      This is a traditional fairy tale about a mermaid, who meets a prince, and must give up her most beautiful talent to become human. The setting in this story is well established quickly at the beginning. The plot is simple, and direct. The illustrations in this book are very basic, yet colorful, and creative.I remember watching The Little Mermaid on television, and I remember from a long time ago, I think the movie was called Mermaid, with Tom Hanks in it. I loved that movie!A great extension idea would be to have students draw their vision of what the Mermaid would look like. Another would be to have students come up with costume ideas, and have them dress like Mermaids.
    • 4/5
      This story is a classic. I enjoyed reading this picture book since the illustrations were colorful and detailed to match the writing. The language was descriptive and powerful. This classic story is about a unknown kingdom under the depths of the ocean and one girls dream to change the separation of the two worlds. This stories language makes the story come to life with descriptive words, given the fact that it is of the traditional fantasy genre. “The sea looked quite green, and large icebergs were floating about, each like a pearl, she said, but larger and loftier than the churches built by men,” helps create a picture in the readers mind and keep them engaged in the story. Given the descriptive language seeing colorful detailed illustrations help to aid readers create pictures to match the oral stories. The main idea of this story is to be careful what you wish for.
    • 3/5
      4.The “Little Mermaid” is a book about a fairytale of a mermaid who longs to be human and win the love of a prince. The big idea of the story is about making great sacrifices and taking huge risks. I have mixed feelings for this book, in that I did and did not like it for a few reasons. I liked this book for the overall fantasy genre focus. It brings imagination to readers interests. It focuses on princesses, princes, and a mermaid which sparks the interests of creativity to a readers mind. For instance, the book transports readers on an unforgettable voyage from the fanciful underwater realm of the little mermaid to her dazzling new home on the surface. That is a fun theme and plot for readers who like to take a step into imagination. But, the overall layout, illustrations, and writing did not spark my interest. The layout of the writing was placed into large paragraphs. The paragraphs appeared never ending, and it doesn’t captures the readers’ attention. Also, the pictures are revealing, so the audience could not be younger than 7th grade. The mermaid appears to be slightly nude in a few pictures. I understand that it is a traditional tale, but the book should not be considered a children’s read. Lastly, the writing was not paced well. There weren’t many breaks or exaggerations in between words. The main idea is appropriate for all ages, but the book’s appearance is not.
    • 3/5
      The Little Mermaid, illustrated by Lisbeth Zwerger.Lisbeth Zwerger, that fairy-tale illustrator par excellence, whose numerous interpretations of the work of Hans Christian Andersen - from individual tales like Thumbeline, The Swineherd, and The Nightingale, to collections such as Andersen's Fairy Tales - have all won accolades, turns her attention to the tale of The Little Mermaid in this 2004 picture-book.The visual effect is delightful, with Zwerger's colorful, idiosyncratic illustrations affording the reader enchanting vistas, both above and below sea. I liked many of the smaller details, from the little mermaid's splayed out hair, as she gazes out the palace window, dreaming of the world above, to the way in which the mermaid sisters' hair spreads out on the water, as they swim before the prince's castle. I also appreciated the fact that the not inconsiderable text is broken up by sentences printed in blue and green inks. This edition may not be beautiful, in the manner of the Charles Santore retelling, nor pretty like the Katie Thamer Treherne, but it does have a charm all its own: playful and self-assured. Lisbeth Zwerger fans will rejoice to find it, even those (like myself) who don't especially care for this tale!Addendum: readers should note that the highly moralistic ending, which P.L. Travers once described as "blackmail," is firmly in place here, thanks (or not, as the case may be) to Anthea Bell's scrupulous translation.
    • 2/5
      the disney version was way better. Anderson is very heavy handed with the religious themes
    • 5/5
      Genre: Fairy TaleCharacterization: 5 StarsReview: The little mermaid dreamed of spending life ashore and was willing to give up her comfortable home life to live on land. This book is a good example of a fairy tale because it is literature that has been passed down through generations by people retelling them.Media: colored pencils
    • 3/5
      "The Little Mermaid" is a popular fairy tale by the Danish poet and author Hans Christian Andersen about a young mermaid willing to give up her life in the sea and her identity as a mermaid to gain a human soul and the love of a human prince.
    • 2/5
      This classic tale from Hans Christian Anderson tells the story of a young mermaid who dreams of becoming human. Originally written in 1837, this story is quite different in tone from the Disney version, which many children (and adults) will immediately think of when mentioning the title. While I was reading this story, I found myself constantly comparing it to the Disney film, even though I really didn’t mean too. Consequently, I think this affected my opinion of the original story because I found it to be too ‘dark’ for children and not really something that I would read to my kids. However, keeping in mind that it was written almost two hundred years ago, this type of story was likely considered as nothing too unusual. As a matter of personal preference though, I’ll stick with the Disney version.
    • 5/5
      Hans Christian Anderson’s version of the Little Mermaid is darker than the Disney version. This in my opinion made it much more enjoyable. It is the classic tale of a mermaid who falls in love with a prince and makes sacrifices to win him. Unlike the Disney version, the little mermaid doesn’t win the prince and stay human. Instead she chooses not to kill him and save her life. She plunges into the sea where she becomes a daughter of the air. Her choices gave her the ability to gain a soul and after 300 years her soul would go to heaven. This was an absolutely beautiful book.
    • 4/5
      This is a modern day story of the Little Mermaid who is fascinated with life above water and being human in order to have an eternal soul. She gives the sea witch her beautiful voice in order to meet the prince, marry, and gain her eternal soul. When this fails she is turned into foam but because of her unselfishness is giving a chance to gain her soul after all. I like the way the author selects his words to describe the environment above and below the sea. It’s very close to the traditional story with a twist; her main goal is gaining her soul. It's a lovely and touching story about love and sacrifice as shown by the princess when she did not harm the prince because of her love for him and her ability to gain her soul from her unselfish sacrifice which is what she wanted.I believe this story could be used during creative writing, having children explore traditional stories and give it their own twist.

    Book preview

    The Little Mermaid - Hans Christian Andersen

    cover.jpg

    THE LITTLE MERMAID

    By

    HANS CHRISTIAN ANDERSEN

    This edition published by Dreamscape Media LLC, 2017

    www.dreamscapeab.com * info@dreamscapeab.com

    1417 Timberwolf Drive, Holland, OH 43528

    877.983.7326

    dreamscape

    About Hans Christian Andersen:

    Hans Christian Andersen (2 April 1805 – 4 August 1875) was a Danish author. Although a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems, Andersen is best remembered for his fairy tales. Andersen's popularity is not limited to children; his stories, called eventyr in Danish, express themes that transcend age and nationality.

    Andersen's fairy tales, which have been translated into more than 125 languages, have become culturally embedded in the West's collective consciousness, readily accessible to children, but presenting lessons of virtue and resilience in the face of adversity for mature readers as well. Some of his most famous fairy tales include The Emperor's New Clothes, The Little Mermaid, The Nightingale, The Snow Queen, The Ugly Duckling, Thumbelina and many more.

    His stories have inspired ballets, animated and live-action films and plays.

    Source: Wikipedia

    The Little Mermaid

    AR out in the ocean, where the water is as blue as the prettiest cornflower and as clear as crystal, it is very, very deep; so deep, indeed, that no cable could sound it, and many church steeples, piled one upon another, would not reach from the ground beneath to the surface of the water above. There dwell the Sea King and his subjects.

    We must not imagine that there is nothing at the bottom of the sea but bare yellow sand. No, indeed, for on this sand grow the strangest flowers and plants, the leaves and stems of which are so pliant that the slightest agitation of the water causes them to stir as if they had life. Fishes, both large and small, glide between the branches as birds fly among the trees here upon land.

    In the deepest spot of all stands the castle of the Sea King. Its walls are built of coral, and the long Gothic windows are of the clearest amber. The roof is formed of shells that open and close as the water flows over them. Their appearance is very beautiful, for in each lies a glittering pearl which would be fit for the diadem of a queen.

    The Sea King had been a widower for many years, and his aged mother kept house for him. She was a very sensible woman, but exceedingly proud of her high birth, and on that account wore twelve oysters on her tail, while others of high rank were only allowed to wear six.

    She was, however, deserving of very great praise, especially for her care

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