The steadfast tin soldier Illustrations by: Valentina Moscon

Once upon a time there was a boy who received as a present a box of tin soldiers. All the soldiers looked great, but one of them was missing a leg, maybe because there hadn’t been enough metal to complete it. Nevertheless, standing tall and proud, straight as the barrel of his gun, he was the boy’s favourite.

The box of the tin soldiers was placed next to a splendid castle made of painted cardboard, with a wrought iron staircase and colourful plants which looked real. 6 7 The steadfast tin soldier

At the castle’s entrance stood a pretty ballerina, also made of cardboard, with golden locks. She was balancing on the tip of one foot while the other leg, lifted in an arabesque, was hidden by her large tutu. When the soldier saw her, believing that she too had only one leg, he fell madly in love with her:

ts golden dart throug uck i h the s str ct you la mid ha : the fa ck a l dle ve ook imb, w of Lo L my love gr ill m “ ow dim no y ”. t h m ea a r k t e !

At midnight, when everyone was asleep, the toys came to life and started to roam the room. The one-legged soldier came out of the box with all his companions, marching in single file, and positioned himself where he could gaze at the ballerina with eyes full of love. She responded to his loving glances with smiles and nods. She l oved him too!

8 9 Summary

6 The steadfast tin soldier 18 30 42 52 64 74 84 The little matchgirl 90 99 The emperor’s new clothes 107 112 The snowman 118 The nightingale

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