Children's ✦ Penny’s Take
The Orchard Book of Hans Christian Andersen's Fairy Tales
Martin Waddell · 2010
83/100
👍 Worth It
Waddell knows how to write for children without talking down to them, and his retellings hold Andersen's signature blend of warmth and melancholy intact — the bittersweet endings are there, not softened away. Emma Chichester Clark's illustrations are genuinely lovely and the selection covers the essential Andersen tales a child should know. The Little Match Girl and the Mermaid's ending may bring tears, but that's part of why Andersen still matters.
✦ Penny’s Take — this is The Review Group’s own editorial assessment. Penny’s analytical review line researched this book from real sources and scored it across the lenses shown below. It’s an honest first-party read — not a page-by-page personal one. The gold ✓ Penny Tested mark is reserved for books Penny reads cover to cover herself.
📚 Buy the book ↗📱 Read on Kindle ↗🎧 Listen on Audible ↗ affiliate links · support the site, never the verdict
As an Amazon Associate and Audible affiliate, Penny earns from qualifying purchases. This never affects the verdict — see our affiliate disclosure.
Show the math
Verdict receipt0–100
Faith & family safety92
Substance / usefulness82
Craft & writing86
Originality70
Evidence & accuracy84
Hype vs delivers84
Age-fit90
👁 Human-eye gut-check86
Penny’s verdict83
Cross-pollinate