The next day, the big egg started to hatch. Out came a baby boy bird. But if one may say so, it was an odd-looking thing. This bird was much bigger than others. He was not yellow at all - he was dark-gray from his head to his feet. And he walked with a funny wobble.

At least, that’s one way to analyse the tale – but is its meaning actually a little more complex than its straightforward plot, and seemingly straightforward moral, suggest? According to Carole Rosen, the story was inspired in part by Andersen's friend Jenny Lind. [3] Adaptations [ edit ] Disney's 1931 version Disney's 1939 version

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See,” cried the youngest, “there is a new one;” and the rest were delighted, and ran to their father and mother, dancing and clapping their hands and shouting joyously, “There is another swan come; a new one has arrived.” He later described attending school as being the most "bitter" and "darkest" experience of his life, as he said the schoolmaster bullied him, allegedly to "improve his character". He became depressed, but writing helped him to express himself and he blossomed into a swan when he became a popular published author. He had to go into the cold, cold lake to fish, but it was getting harder to swim. The lake was turning to ice. One day, it was all he could do was to paddle the water to keep it from freezing around him, and trapping him in the lake. What an absurd idea!” said the hen. “You have nothing else to do; therefore you have foolish fancies. If you could purr or lay eggs, they would pass away.”

Delightful, indeed!" said the hen, "why you must be crazy! Ask the cat, he is the cleverest animal I know, ask him how he would like to swim about on the water, or to dive under it, for I will not speak of my own opinion; ask our mistress, the old woman- there is no one in the world more clever than she is. Do you think she would like to swim, or to let the water close over her head?" Andersen started writing short stories and his debut book, The Ghost at Palnatoke's Grave, was published in 1822. His first fairy tales were published in 1835, in a Danish book called Eventyr, or Fairy Tale. This was the start of his life-long love of fairy tales. Andersen's father introduced him to literature by reading him the magical tales of the Arabian Knights. After his father died in 1816, he went to a local school for poor children in Odense, where he received a basic education. He worked as a weaver to support himself after his mother remarried. Here are other books in the Hampster Early Readers Series which I have reviewed. Each title links to my review:The story has been told and retold countless times, and is often one of the first stories children learn in childhood, but what does not always transfer to the different versions is Hans Christian Andersen's delightfully droll humour. The positive life-affirming message is always there, that it is important to be yourself, and this is why the story perpetuates, but there are additional nuances in the original which make it one of his most enjoyable stories. The message conveyed by the much-loved story is simple: you shouldn't judge a person by their outer appearance. Even though someone may grow up feeling worthless, they can still grow up to blossom, like a beautiful swan. It's more about discovering what's inside, rather than simply by someone's appearance. Is this all the world, do you imagine?” said the mother. “Wait till you have seen the garden. Far beyond that it stretches down to the pastor’s field, though I have never ventured to such a distance. Are you all out?” she continued, rising to look. “No, not all; the largest egg lies there yet, I declare. I wonder how long this business is to last. I’m really beginning to be tired of it;” but for all that she sat down again.

Born in April 1805, he wrote an amazing 3,381 fairy tales that have been translated into more than 125 different languages. Delightful, indeed! it must be a queer sort of pleasure,” said the hen. “Why, you must be crazy! Ask the cat—he is the cleverest animal I know; ask him how he would like to swim about on the water, or to dive under it, for I will not speak of my own opinion. Ask our mistress, the old woman; there is no one in the world more clever than she is. Do you think she would relish swimming and letting the water close over her head?”

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Kill me,” said the poor bird and he bent his head down to the surface of the water and awaited death.