The True Ugly Duckling

How Hans Christian Andersen Became a Swan

A TRUE TALE WITH

A CHERRY ON TOP

Levine Querido

(pub. 3.3.2026)

32 pages

Ages 4 - 8

Author: Sandra Nickel

   Illustrator: Calvin Nicholls

Character: Hans Christian Andersen

Overview:

" He brought to life stories and characters that millions have loved: A one-legged tin soldier who yearned for love. A poor little match girl. A mermaid who gave up her voice for a prince.

But who was Hans Christian Andersen? He was a “strange child.” An ugly duckling. Even his mother said so. He didn’t seem to think like, or look like, anyone around him.

But while his tender heart was bruised by ridicule, it responded by driving an unstoppable urge to create, to entertain. If he couldn’t act he would dance, if he couldn’t dance he would sing, and if he couldn’t sing … well, maybe he had stories to tell.

With each rejection and defeat, Hans would soothe himself by making art with scissors and whatever was handy. A bit of cloth, a piece of paper. Until one day… 

Structured like a fairy tale, this is the story of how Hans Christian Andersen took all the parts of his life—whether painful or transcendent—and used them to create books that have touched children the world over.

Tantalizing taste:

"The shoemaker's son often felt like a country duck with all these noble people. But after dinner, everyone crowded around. As he took his scissors from his pocket, they hushed their voices. And as he weaved magic with his words and scissors, he felt like the most beautiful swan of all."

And something more: Sandra Nickel shared in the Author's Note: "Experts believe that Hans Christian Andersen was likely on the autism spectrum. He may have also had Marfan syndrome, which may result in unusually long noses, arms, and legs... His growing-up years seemed familiar to me - his differentness, his hyperfocus, the solace he found in stories. I have three generations of neurodivergent women in my family, and we have each grappled with our places in the world...

Believing that fairy tales reflect aspects of our inner world, I took up my pen and wrote this biography in the form of Andersen's fairy tales... Most importantly, I wanted to show that Andersen used his originality - even the reassuring, repetitive movement of cutting out shapes - to find his own place in the world."