Noel's Booknook

Mary Botham Howitt (March 12, 1799 – January 30, 1888) was an English poet, and became interested in Scandinavian literature during the 1840s and, having learned Swedish and Danish, she translated many of Hans Christian Andersen’s fairy tales for the delight of English children.  She may have been influenced by the dark side of some of his stories when she wrote her most famous piece, "The Spider and the Fly."

Robert Lewis Balfour Stevenson (November 13, 1850 – December 3, 1894) was a Scottish novelist, poet, essayist and travel writer , whose most famous works of literature are  "Treasure Island," "Kidnapped," "A Child's Garden of Verses," and "The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde."

Charles Lutwidge Dodgson (1832 - 1896), is better known by his pen name of Lewis Carroll. He was an English writer of children's fiction but, is most famous for writing "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland" and its sequel, "Alice Through the Looking-Glass." His talent at word play, logic, and fantasy and has been loved for generations, and is still enjoyed, today.

Hans Christian Andersen wrote many fairy tales but this, by far, is his most famous. "The Little Mermaid" follows the journey of a young mermaid who is willing to give up her life in the sea to gain a human soul. The tale was first published in 1837 as part of a collection of fairy tales for children and has since been adapted, many times, for movies, television, and live theater.

Lyman Frank Baum (1856 - 1919) was an American author who wrote 41 novels, 83 short stories, over 200 poems, and at least 42 scripts. He is most famous for his children's books, particularly "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz" and its sequels, a total of 14 novels in the Oz series. This is the introduction and the first two chapters of the first book, "The Wonderful Wizard of Oz."

Hans Christian Andersen (1805 - 1875) was a Danish author, a prolific writer of plays, travelogues, novels, and poems. But, he is best remembered for his fairy tales, which are not limited to children; his stories express themes that transcend age and nationality, to this day. These are two such examples - "The Princess & the Pea" and "The Emperor's New Suit."

Helen Beatrix Potter (1866 - 1943) wrote and illustrated many books for children featuring animals who acted like people. This is two stories she wrote; one about a naughty kitten and the other about two bad mice.