The air is still cold outside, but already the rain and sun are tickling the snowdrop, who is still nice and warm in her bulb under the earth and snow. The snowdrop would like the sun to penetrate further into her bulb to warm her, but it is not yet summer and the sun’s rays are not strong enough. So, the snowdrop decides to push through the earth before all the other flowers!Hans Christian Andersen (1805-1875) was a Danish author, poet and artist. Celebrated for children’s literature, his most cherished fairy tales include 'The Emperor's New Clothes', 'The Little Mermaid', 'The Nightingale', 'The Steadfast Tin Soldier', 'The Snow Queen', 'The Ugly Duckling' and 'The Little Match Girl'. His books have been translated into every living language, and today there is no child or adult that has not met Andersen's whimsical characters. His fairy tales have been adapted to stage and screen countless times, most notably by Disney with the animated films 'The Little Mermaid' in 1989 and 'Frozen', which is loosely based on 'The Snow Queen', in 2013. Thanks to Andersen's contribution to children's literature, his birth date, April 2, is celebrated as International Children's Book Day.