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: n its golde dart through truck the m as s he fact you lack a idd e h ok: t lim le o ov Lo my b, w f “L love grow ill m 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 loved ! him too 8 9 Summary 6 The steadfast tin soldier 18 The wild swans 30 The ugly duckling 42 The tinderbox 52 The little mermaid 64 Thumbelina 74 The Snow Queen 84 The little matchgirl 90 The flying trunk 99 The emperor’s new clothes 107 The princess and the pea 112 The snowman 118 The nightingale 124 125.