If you can read this classical tale of a forlorn child without empathizing with her plight, then you are most assuredly a sociopath. I have given copies of this book to my children and grandchildren in order to vaccinate them against the insidiousness of benign neglect and noninvolvement in contemporaneous societal issues, especially with respect to the most innocent and vulnerable among us, poor children. I consider this tome to be a primer for the inculcation in our loved ones of a sense of identity with and compassion for the plight of those unfortunate enough to have been born into circumstances infinitely more dire than their own, and to engender within them a sense of responsibility to make a difference in those lives. While the little match girl who is the ... MoreIf you can read this classical tale of a forlorn child without empathizing with her plight, then you are most assuredly a sociopath. I have given copies of this book to my children and grandchildren in order to vaccinate them against the insidiousness of benign neglect and noninvolvement in contemporaneous societal issues, especially with respect to the most innocent and vulnerable among us, poor children. I consider this tome to be a primer for the inculcation in our loved ones of a sense of identity with and compassion for the plight of those unfortunate enough to have been born into circumstances infinitely more dire than their own, and to engender within them a sense of responsibility to make a difference in those lives. While the little match girl who is the subject of this story is emblematic of her real-life contemporaries during the time period in which Hans Christian Andersen penned this poignant story nearly two centuries ago, sadly, such tragedies continue to unfold on a daily basis even now, as we are made aware of the suffering of children the world over, from Appalachia to Yemen to Syria, ad infinitum. This sad fact provides all the more reason to believe that The Little Match Girl will continue to serve as a timeless and relevant example of humanity's need to keepalive our collective concern for the welfare of such hapless innocents.

Thanks so much, my son will love this vintage book for his birthday!

It is a lovely book but I really wanted a reading book for an older child. I feel this is a bit young visually and yet the story is for an older child.