Ib and Little Christine

In Gudenau, in the forest of Silkeborg, lived a farmer, Jeppe Jans, and his son, Ib. In winter, when there was nothing to do in the fields, Jeppe Jans made clogs and Ib tried to do the same. Not far away, lived the boatman and his daughter, Christina. She would often accompany her father on his travels by boat, but when the journey was too long and he did not want to take her, she stayed with Ib. It was then, during their early childhood, that their friendship began.

Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was a Danish author, poet and artist. Celebrated for children’s literature, his most cherished fairy tales include "The Emperor's New Clothes", "The Little Mermaid", "The Nightingale", "The Steadfast Tin Soldier", "The Snow Queen", "The Ugly Duckling" and "The Little Match Girl". His books have been translated into every living language, and today there is no child or adult that has not met Andersen's whimsical characters. His fairy tales have been adapted to stage and screen countless times, most notably by Disney with the animated films "The Little Mermaid" in 1989 and "Frozen", which is loosely based on "The Snow Queen", in 2013.

Thanks to Andersen's contribution to children's literature, his birth date, April 2, is celebrated as International Children's Book Day.