The Little Mermaid

A beautifully illustrated new translation of a beloved Hans Christian Andersen fairy tale

Six young sisters live in the depths of the ocean, longing for the chance to see the beauty of the earth. Most eager of all is the youngest mermaid, who counts the days to her fifteenth birthday when her grandmother will finally allow her to rise to the surface.

Her first sight above the water is a large ship on which a beautiful prince is celebrating his sixteenth birthday. Immediately she falls in love, and so begins her determined quest to join the prince on earth as a human.

Full of wonder and heart, The Little Mermaid remains one of the most powerful fairy tales ever written, and this new, gorgeously illustrated translation gives it renewed life.

Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was born in Odense, Denmark, the son of a poor shoemaker. The king helped to pay for his education, enabling him to become a short-story writer, novelist and playwright. He remains best known for his fairy tales, which include The Red Shoes, The Emperor's New Clothes, The Little Mermaid and The Ugly Duckling. Pushkin Children's also publishes The Snow Queen and The Wild Swans.

Helen Crawford-White lives and works by the sea. She designs covers, illustrates books and creates websites.