See Also:
Beginning of a FAMOUS Hero: The Walt Disney Story.
Life Lesson #80 – Master the Art.
Once upon a time, there was a little mermaid who wanted most of all to have legs. Once upon a time, there was an ugly duckling who grew to be a beautiful swan. And once upon a time, there was a silly emperor with strange new clothes. But do you know we have all these wonderful “Once upon a time” stories because long ago in the small country of Denmark, there was a very real, very poor, little boy named Hans Christian Andersen who loved writing and telling stories more than anything.
Hans’ family was extremely poor. He had to work hard to help earn money so he wasn’t able to attend school regularly until he was older than the other children in his school. He often had to walk to school in the snow with holes in his shoes. He was also tall and skinny, and other children teased him for being funny looking. This hurt Hans’ feelings, but stories and music made him feel better. As a young man, Hans continued his writing. He wrote poems and books, but even grownups liked his fairy tales for children the best. Hans Christian Andersen became famous for his beautiful stories that people around the world still read and love today. Hans Christian Andersen became a HERO.
Even though he had once been so poor, even though he had to work at jobs that were not much fun, and even though he was teased for being funny looking, Hans had a goal, and he followed his dreams to become what he wanted to be—a great story teller! Some people think his tale about the ugly duckling was meant to be the story of his own life. What do you think?
– Jim Lord