Hans+Christian+Andersen

Hans Christian Andersen was born in 1805 in Denmark and he died in 1895. He wrote these stories:
 * Thumbelina
 * The Emperor's New Clothes
 * The Ugly Duckling
 * The Little Mermaid
 * The Constant Tin Soldier

Thumbelina
In the story of Thumbelina some of the characters are animals:
 * the toad and his mother
 * a may bug
 * a field mouse
 * a mole
 * a [|swallow.]

This is a may bug. They are also called cockchafers, and they only live in Europe. It's a kind of beetle.

This is a mole. Moles live underground in tunnels they dig themselves. They have soft velvety fur, tiny eyes and strong powerful claws for digging. They have an extra thumb to help with digging. They mainly eat earthworms, small insects and nuts. They live in America, Asia and Europe.

The Nightingale
The nightingale is a bird that lives in Europe. There aren't any in Australia so you need to listen online to hear why the Emperor was so impressed. Click here to hear the song of the nightingale.

Visit Wikipedia to see pictures of music boxes. To hear what one sounds like, find the audio clip player near the top of the Wikipedia page. Click the triangle to make it play.

There are many different illustrated versions of The Nightingale. Have a look at these ones online and decide which one you like the best.

[|Gilead] Edmund Dulac [|Margaret Tarrant] You can listen to the story again at BBC Radio. [|Click here to listen.]