I'm pretty certain that y'all have heard the story of the Little Mermaid, right? Made into a classic children's cartoon by Walt Disney's artists, it has become one of the beloved stories of an entire generation of today's children.
What you may not have known is that The Little Mermaid has been a beloved story for hundreds of years! You see, it was written in 1836 by one of Denmark's most famous residents--Hans Christen Andersen. The title in Danish is Den lille havfrue.
Hans Christen---who was born in Odense, Denmark's Bike Friendliest City---is a veritable hero in all of Denmark. Odense has four different statues of him at different stages of his life---and even has a silhouette of Andersen in the streetlights! (That's what you see in the picture for this post.)
Andersen did much of his writing in Copenhagen, having lived there for several years. That explains why one of the most famous landmarks in Copenhagen's Town Hall Square is a giant statue of Hans Christen that people like to have their picture made on! You literally crawl up on the statue and sit on Andersen's lap as if he were Santa Claus!
Don't believe me? Then check out this video:
So what do you think makes The Little Mermaid so popular? After all, it is a story that has lasted for hundreds of years. Why do young readers like it so much?
Leave a comment to share your thinking and join us again soon on Get Lost!
Signed,
Bam Bam Bigelow
Image retrieved from my own collection---not bad, huh?
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