The Little Match Girl

The Little Match Girl

Written by Hans Christian Andersen

Illustrated by Rachel Isadora

Published in 1987

Grade Level: 2nd-4th

Synopsis: This version of The Little Match Girl is an interpretation Hans Christian Andersen's classic tale published in 1845.  It is about a young girl who wonders the streets alone trying to sell matches.  Most days, the little girl sells no matches and is left tired and starving.  One day, she loses her shoes that had once been worn by her mother so she is left to walk barefoot in the cold snow.  She decides that it is best not to go home, for if she does her father will most certainly beat her for selling no matches.  Instead of going home she curls up in outside corner of a house and decides to light a match to warm her hands.  When she does this she has a vision that she is sitting in front of a big stove.  Before she can warm her feet by the fire the match goes out and the stove disappears.  The girl lights a second match and while it is burning the vision of a wonderful New Year's Eve dinner appears to her.  The roast goose and the entire table of food disappears when the match burns out.  When the little girl lights a third match a beautiful lighted Christmas tree appears before her with the most beautiful decorations that she has ever seen.  As she reaches out to touch one of the ornaments, the match goes out and the tree disappears.  Just then, the girl looks up in the sky and sees a shooting star, which meant that someone is dying.  "When a star falls, a soul is going up to God," is what her grandmother used to tell her.  The girl lights a forth match and in the light of the match appears her grandmother.  The little girl begs her grandmother to take her with her because she knows that as soon as the match goes out that her grandmother will disappear.  Her grandmother scoops her up in her arms and together they soar into the sky where there is no more pain, hunger, or pain, just light and joy. 

Theme/Skill: With young students it may not be appropriate or necessary to talk about death or God as they are mentioned in the story.  Perhaps it would be more relevant and age appropriate to talk to students about weather, feelings, time period, and chronological order instead.

Pre-reading activities: Show the students the picture in the book.  Allow them to predict what they think will happen next and infer meaning from the images.  Write down their predictions so that they can refer to them during the reading of the story.  Talk to students about weather; seasons, rain, snow, hot, cold, and what people typically wear depending on the weather.  Bring this up again as you are reading to point out to students what the little match girl is wearing and how it might effect her physically and emotionally.  For younger students you may have a laminated cut out doll of the little match girl character along with clothing.  Have the students dress the girl so that she is warm. 

Post-reading activities: The teacher should ask students comprehension questions that will spark students' thinking.  Not only will this help students to better understanding the various elements that make up the story, but also build their ability to ask these questions on their own when reading.  Why does the little girl have matches?  Why are matches important?  What do they represent?  Students need to recognize the importance of the matches and their representation/symbolism of light, warmth, goodness, and peace.  This may lead into a lesson on fire safety.  At the end, show Disney's version of The Little Match Girl. 

Assessment: Students will be informally assessed on the character webs that they make about the main character.  After previewing the book, discussing, listening to the story, and watching the short film version, the students will write whether or not they believe that the visions that the little girl saw were real or only her imagination.  Students will have to provide rationale and reasoning to support their opinion. 

Reflection: Like all versions of The Little Match Girl, this one, illustrated by Rachel Isadora, is heart-wrenching.  As a I read the book again for the first time in years I became angry and sad; angry at the girl's father for abusing her, angry at the villagers who ignored her, and sad that she was alone, cold, and hungry.  Nevertheless, with this story comes the feeling of hope.  At the end, the little girl finds peace and serenity; no longer does she have to suffer unnecessarily.  In the end, the reader is left feeling relief for the main character.  The attachment you will feel to this character is enduring and reason enough to read this story.