Hans Andersen was a quiet child. He would sit for hours in the backyard, inventing stories for his toy theatre. 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 marvellous fairy tales, full of jokes and magic, have entranced children ever since. Other titles in the series: Amelia Earhart, Alexander the Great, Captain Cook, Cleopatra, Eric the Red Galileo, Gandhi, Henry Ford, Roald Dahl, Thomas Edison and William Shakespeare.