"The Little Match Girl" by Jerry Pinkney is a poignant retelling of Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale. It follows the story of a poor young girl who, on a cold New Year's Eve, tries to sell matches in the frigid streets. As she struggles to stay warm and faces the harsh reality of her life, she lights her matches one by one, each flickering flame revealing vivid visions of warmth, love, and happiness. Through these brief glimpses, she finds comfort and solace amidst her suffering. The narrative beautifully highlights themes of hope, despair, and the indomitable spirit of a child in adversity. [Generated by language model - please report any problems].
This book is the winner of numerous awards
This book is part of a book series called Picture Puffin .
This book has been graded for interest at 4-8 years.
There are 32 pages in this book. This book was published in 2002 by Turtleback Books .
Jerry Pinkney has been illustrating children's books since 1964 and has the rare distinction of being the recipient of: Five Caldecott Honor Medals Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was a Danish author and poet, most famous for his writing down of many timeless, classic fairy tales. He is Denmark's most famous author and his birthday is celebrated every year with a part called "Odin Story Day".
This book contains the following story:
The Little Match Girl
On a cold New Year's Eve, a poor girl tries to sell matches in the street. She is already shivering from cold and early hypothermia. Still she is afraid to go home because her father will beat her for not selling any matches. She shelters in a nook and sits down. The girl lights the matches to warm herself. In their glow, she sees several lovely visions including a Christmas tree and a holiday feast. The girl looks skyward and sees a shooting star; she then remembers her dead grandmother saying that such a falling star means someone is dying and is going to Heaven. As she lights the next match, she sees a vision of her grandmother, the only person to have treated her with love and kindness. She strikes one match after another to keep the vision of her grandmother alive for as long as she can. Running out of matches, the child dies and her grandmother carries her soul to Heaven. The next morning, passers-by find the child dead in the nook and feel pity for her.
This book has been nominated for the following award:
Parents' Choice Award
This book was recognised by the Parents' Choice Award.
