His Fairytale Life - by Jane Yolen (Hardcover)

About the Book

"A lyrical biography of Hans Christian Andersen"--

Book Synopsis

The storyteller becomes the story in this illuminating biographical picture book of Hans Christian Andersen, father of the modern fairy tale.

A century and a half have passed since Hans Christan Andersen's death, but his stories are more alive than ever. Across languages, borders, and disciplines, his timeless creations have left a footprint beyond measuring. Now, come along back to the beginning and meet the human that came before the legend.

He was a boy
who lived with a mother
who could not read,
but remembered every fairy tale
she'd been told...

Appropriately penned by Jane Yolen, who Newsweek has called "the Hans Christian Andersen of America," His Fairytale Life is as immersive and transporting as all good fairy tales should be. Each page sings with Brooke Boynton-Hughes's dazzlingly intricate illustrations. Classics lovers and Disney fanatics alike will cherish this dreamy tome.

Review Quotes

A treasure. . . Yolen sensitively recounts how Andersen's story was marked by hardship, ambition, creativity, and longing. The beauty of her writing astounds.
--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

This beautiful picture book serves as a poetic tribute from one imaginative writer to another.
--Booklist (starred review)

Yolen traces via a single, lilting sentence the life of Danish writer Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875), whose original stories are now considered cultural touchstones. . . Pale, romantic watercolor, graphite, and ink spreads by Boynton-Hughes (Heart String) set the events in atmospheric interiors and streets, and represent Andersen's imaginative creations as intricate, tapestry-like waves of fantasy that spread beyond him.
--Publishers Weekly

The sequential story is factually told but still has warmth and affection.
--The Bulletin

For those just starting to learn about Andersen's stories and life, the details included are engaging, and the text leaves enough that is open-ended to encourage further exploration. Yolen's long poetic sentence ultimately ends in tribute: 'Hans Christian Andersen--your own story more like a fairy tale than a life.'
--The Horn Book

About the Author

Jane Yolen is the author of close to 400 books for both children and adults, including perennial favorites How Do Dinosaurs Say Goodnight?, Owl Moon, and The Devil's Arithmetic. Her books have won such awards as the Caldecott Medal, two Nebula Awards, the World Fantasy Award, the Jewish Book Award, and the Sydney Taylor Body-of-Work Award. Newsweek once called her "the Hans Christian Andersen of America." She lives in Hatfield, Massachusetts.

Brooke Boynton-Hughes is the author and illustrator of Brave Molly, and the illustrator of many other picture books, most notably Dolly Parton's Coat of Many Colors. She holds a BFA in printmaking from Colorado State University and an MFA in figurative art from the New York Academy of Art. She lives in Colorado with her husband and children.