The Wild Swans - Softcover

Andersen, Hans Christian

Softcover

ISBN 10: 1782691227 ISBN 13: 9781782691228

Publisher: Pushkin Children's Books, 2017

Synopsis

A princess has eleven brothers. The twelve siblings live happily and well, until their father decides to remarry. Their new stepmother is a wicked woman, and she turns all the brothers into swans and banishes the princess from the palace. And so it is left to Elisa to endure countless hardships alone in order to save her beloved brothers from the spell.

This edition also contains a new translation of Hans Christian Andersen's beloved story The Nightingale, a story about a Chinese emperor who prefers the song of a mechanical nightingale to that of the real bird. When he falls ill, it is the nightingale who saves him. The story has been adapted for stage, opera, muscial theatre and television many times.

About this title

About the Author:

Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) is one of the best-loved tellers of fairy tales. He was born in Odense, Denmark, the son of a poor shoemaker. The king helped to pay for his education, enabling him to become a short-story writer, novelist and playwright. Hans Christian Andersen remains best known for his fairy tales, which include The Red Shoes, The Emperor's New Clothes, The Little Mermaid and The Ugly Duckling. Pushkin Children's also publishes The Snow Queen.

From School Library Journal:

Gr 3–5—Magical swans, evil queens, and a beautiful singing nightingale initiate fantastical ideas and dreams of lands far, far away. Eleven prince brothers are dashed from their royal lives when the evil new Queen transforms them into 11 magnificent wild swans. Their younger sister, Elisa, astonished by her brothers' absence, is transformed by the Queen to such a hideous exterior that even her own father fails to recognize her. Thus begins Elisa's quest to solve the mystery and discover the fate of her beloved brothers. Accompanying this tale is Andersen's "The Nightingale." Hoekstra's translation brings these wondrous tales up to the surface for a new generation. The quick pacing and simple vocabulary will attract and keep the attention of eager and reluctant readers alike. Overall, these "folk fantasy" stories may delight younger readers and bring the traditional tales into 2017. VERDICT Recommended for elementary libraries with budding readers who have a taste for all things fantastical.—Mary-Brook J. Townsend, Episcopal Collegiate School, Little Rock, AR

About this edition

• Publisher: Pushkin Children's Books
• Publication date: 2017
• ISBN 10: 1782691227
• ISBN 13: 9781782691228
• Binding: Paperback
• Number of pages: 64
• Illustrator: Crawford-White Helen