The Little Match Girl

Fearful of returning home to a violent father without having sold enough matches for the day, the Little Match Girl remains on the street resigned to warming herself by lighting matches. With each match, she sees a vision — a warm stove, a table laden with hot food, a beautiful Christmas tree decorated with lights leading up to the sky, so high that one becomes a shooting star. According to her grandmother, each shooting star is a person who had recently passed on and is now heading to heaven. Her next strike brings a vision of her grandmother — the only person in the world who ever loved the Little Match Girl — who takes her away in her warm embrace to heaven. The classic ending is intact here and accompanied by gentle, sensitive illustrations — children will return to this stirring tale often to understand its tragedy and the valuable lessons within.