The Complete Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen

Andersen's tales are the real thing — original compositions from one of the great imaginative minds of the 19th century, carrying a distinctive blend of warmth, melancholy, and moral depth that most fairy tale anthologies can't match. The collection spans joyful to genuinely sad, so parents reading aloud to younger children will want to curate. Translation quality matters enormously in any Andersen edition, so checking the specific translator is worth doing before buying.