The Steadfast Tin Soldier - Hans Christian Andersen and Marcia Brown

The Steadfast Tin Soldier by Hans Christian Andersen, illustrated by Marcia Brown, and translated by...M. R. James himself / ISBN 9780684125077 / 32-page hardback, 8.25 x 10.25 inches, published by Atheneum Books for Young Readers  (the illustrations date to 1953)

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This is a favorite among Hans Andersen's Stories. Children enjoy it first for its story of the adventures of a tin soldier, and his love for the little dancer. As they grow older the meaning of the story is deeper. Finally adults see in it things childred do not.

Marcia Brown has illustrated the story with much feeling. The lovely blue-violet of the background gives it an other-world, spiritual quality, yet it has strength and vitality.

Marcia Brown (1918–2015), one of the most honored illustrators in children’s literature, was a three-time Caldecott Medalist and six-time Caldecott Honor illustrator, as well as winner of the Children’s Literature Legacy Award (formerly known as the Laura Ingalls Wilder Award) for the body of her work. She lived in Laguna Hills, California.