Hans Andersen was a quiet child. He would sit for hours in the backyard, inventing stories for his toy theater. He wanted to be an actor and a singer, but everyone said he would never do well on the stage. Instead he became a storyteller. His marvelous fairy tales, full of jokes and magic, have entranced children ever since. Other titles in the series: Alexander the Great Amelia Earhart Captain Cook Cleopatra Eric the Red Galileo Gandhi Henry Ford Roald Dahl Thomas Edison William Shakespeare