Hans Christian Andersen was born in the town of Odense, Denmark,
on April 2, 1805. The beloved author of some of the most famous
fairy tales of all time, Andersen remains a favorite author of
children all over the world. On April 2 each year, Andersen’s
birthday is celebrated as International Children’s Book Day.
King Frederick VI of Denmark took an interest in Andersen as a
child and paid for part of his education. After his father died,
however, Andersen was forced to find a job to support himself.
After working as both a weaver’s apprentice and a tailor,
Andersen moved to Copenhagen when he was just 14 years old. He
had an excellent singing voice and soon found work as an actor
with the Royal Danish Theatre. Eventually, his voice changed,
and he turned to writing. Between 1835 and 1872, Andersen
published many children’s stories. He is probably best known for
Fairy Tales and Stories. Most children have heard many of his
most popular stories, including “The Little Mermaid,” “The
Emperor’s New Clothes,” “The