Emperor's New Clothes, The by Hans Christian Andersen (1805 - 1875)

years because even then I could see that it poked fun at adults and their silly pretensions; The Ugly Duckling I think, was enjoyable because the bullied little one turned out so well and it had a happy ending although I thought even as a child that the protagonist should have gone back and brought those mean barnyard fowl down a peg or two. Little Tiny or Thumbellina is just a sweet story with adventure thrown in and The Brave Little Tin Soldier was and is a tribute to bravery and steadfastness. The last story, There Is No Doubt About It ! was so obviously silly and fun even to a young child and frankly, I just love the way the animals talk in this story. (summary by the reader)