Other editions of book Rainbow Colour: the Little Match Girl

This classic tale by Hans Christian Anderson tells of a poor little match girl who makes a few pennies by selling matches on the street. But no one is buy and she is frightfully cold without shoes for her feet or gloves for her hands. Will she ever find warmth and love? A sad but sensitive holiday tale that transcends age.Recommended by The Gunston Trust for Nonviolence in Children's Literature. Ages 5 and up.

"The Little Match Girl", one of Hans Christian Andersen's most beloved fairy tales, is narrated by Ewan McGregor, OBE for the GivingTales project. On a cold New Year's Eve, a young, poor girl tries to sell matches in the street. She is already shivering from cold and early hypothermia. Still she is afraid to go home, because her father will beat her for not selling any matches. "The Little Match Girl" was released in December, 1845. The original title in Danish: "Den lille Pige med Svovlstikkernee".

The Little Match Girl Most terribly cold it was; it snowed, and was nearly quite dark, and evening—the last evening of the year. In this cold and darkness there went along the street a poor little girl, bareheaded, and with naked feet. When she left home she had slippers on, it is true; but what was the good of that? They were very large slippers, which her mother had hitherto worn; so large were they; and the poor little thing lost them as she scuffled away across the street, because of two carriages that rolled by dreadfully fast. One slipper was nowhere to be found; the other had been laid hold of by an urchin, and off he ran with it; he thought it would do capitally for a cradle when he some day or other should have children himself. So the little maiden walked on with her tiny naked feet, that were quite red and blue from cold. She carried a quantity of matches in an old apron, and she held a bundle of them in her hand. Nobody had bought anything of her the whole livelong day; no one had given her a single farthing. She crept along trembling with cold and hunger—a very picture of sorrow, the poor little thing! The flakes of snow covered her long fair hair, which fell in beautiful curls around her neck; but of that, of course, she never once now thought. From all the windows the candles were gleaming, and it smelt so deliciously of roast goose, for you know it was new year's eve; yes, of that she thought. In a corner formed by two houses, of which one advanced more than the other, she seated herself down and cowered together. Her little feet she had drawn close up to her, but she grew colder and colder, and to go home she did not venture, for she had not sold any matches and could not bring a farthing of money: from her father she would certainly get blows, and at home it was cold too, for above her she had only the roof, through which the wind whistled, even though the largest cracks wer

"The Little Match Girl" is a story about a child's dreams and undying hope. On a cold New Year's Eve, a young, poor girl tries to sell matches in the street. She is already shivering from cold and early hypothermia. Still, she is afraid to go home because her father will beat her for not selling any matches. She shelters in a nook and sits down. The girl lights the matches to warm herself. In their glow, she starts seeing the dreamlike visions, such as a Christmas tree and a holiday feast.