Hans Christian Andersen’s The Snow Queen

Friends Kay and Gerda love each other like brother and sister, but one day, Kay gets some glass in his eye and it takes away his ability to feel anything.

Abducted by the Snow Queen, Kay is taken to live in her glittering ice kingdom in the dark, frozen North, where the ice freezes his heart. Yet, Gerda is determined that she will not lose her friend, and so goes to rescue him. Meeting a robber girl in the forest, Gerda is taken to her palace to be her friend, but when the robber girl hears Gerda’s story, she gives Gerda a reindeer to ride up north.

Finally, Gerda finds Kay. Will she be able to warm his heart again and take him home?

This classic fairy tale story about friendship and the magic of winter is as enchanting as ever, and Lesley Barnes’ amazingly intricate illustrated pop-ups add an even more magical dimension to a wonderful tale. This is a board book, but there is still quite a lot of text per page, and the intricacy of the pop-ups means that this is more suitable for children aged 4 upwards.