The Steadfast Tin Soldier

P J Lynch was born in Belfast in 1962, the youngest of five children. He studied illustration at Brighton College of Art (where he was tutored by Raymond Briggs). He has won numerous prizes, including the Mother Goose Award and the Kate Greenaway Award. He now lives in Dublin.

Hans Christian Andersen (1805 - 1875) was a Danish author and poet, most famous for his fairy tales. Among his best-known stories are The Snow Queen, The Little Mermaid, Thumbelina, The Little Match Girl, The Ugly Duckling and The Red Shoes. During Andersen's lifetime he was feted by royalty and acclaimed for having brought joy to children across Europe. His fairy tales have been translated into over 150 languages and continue to be published in millions of copies all over the world and inspired many other works.