Children's Book Day

Today is Hans Christian Andersen's birthday and (probably not coincidentally) International Children's Book Day. If you're not sure who Hans Christian Andersen is, that's okay because I promise you that you know at least one of his stories. He wrote The Emperor's New Clothes, The Ice-Maiden, The Little Match Girl, The Princess and the Pea, The Snow Queen, The Ugly Duckling, and The Little Mermaid just to name a few. More than 150 years later people are still reading and talking about his stories, even if they don't know his name. I'm not saying that I'll get there, but I aspire to be like that--to write the kinds of stories that people keep reading. So when I was asked to write a story in honor of Hans Christian Andersen's birthday, I jumped at the chance.

The Little Human is the story of 10-year-old Amaya who longs to swim in the sea as much as her father wishes she would stay on land. You can get it and other stories inspired by Hans Christian Andersen for free at this Celebration of International Children's Book Day.