If you are walking through Newyork's Central Park on a fine summer day, you might come across a group of children listening to a story. The storyteller will be sitting beside a statue of a kindly looking man holding an open book. Although this man never actually visited New York, his fame as a writer of fairy tales and children's stories has spread far beyond his homeland.

    Hans Christian Andersen is recognized as a key figure in 19^th-century romantic fiction. He is, without question, the best-known writer Denmark has ever produeed. His stories continue to delight children and adults the world over. Classic tales such as The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, and The emperor's New Clothes are loved for their humor and imagination. They are loved for the simple but meaningful messages they often contain.

    Born on April 2, 1805, in Odense, Demark, Andersen was an imaginative child. His father, a poor shoemaker, died in 1816. With a mother who was unable to read or write, the boy received little education as a child. At 14, Andersen traveled to Copenhagen. He was lucky enough to spend some time with the Royal Theater, but when his voice changed, he had to leave. Luckily, one of the directors helped him by arranging his education.

    Andersen went to the University of Copenhagen in 1828, and his literary career began soon afterwards. He hoped to achieve success with poems and plays, and made too low an estimate(估计) of the kind of stories which have made him famous. Though not particularly fond of children, he had a gift for entertaining them. This led a friend to suggest he write down the stories he invented.

    Many of Andersen' s tales are based on folklore(民间故事), and many are products of his own imagination. All of them are told in a humorous and informal style that children loved from the start.

    Before his death in 1875, Andersen regularly traveled around Europe, and was warmly welcomed everywhere he went.

    Nowadays, of course, Hans Christian Andersen is a household name. Whether he would have liked or not, millions of children and adults will always be grateful for the magie his stories have brought to their lives. The young listeners in Central Park are proof of that.

    Mak Som was an old lady in her seventies. She was often seen collecting unwanted boxes from rubbish bins. She would then put them on her old bicycle and sold them to the rubbish station. Many villagers had offered to take her in (收容) but she refused. She wanted to be independent. At night, she would sleep on a bench in the park.

    One day, the village headman called a meeting. They discussed Mak Som's condition and decided to build her a small house as a surprise gift. After buying the necessary materials, the villagers started working. Even the children went to help. They liked carrying tools or just passing things for the workers.

    Mak Som was curious and asked others what was happening. Someone told her that a villager's relative was moving in and people were only helping to build a house for him.

    After the house was completed, the villagers decided to hold a party in it. The headman invited Mak Som to go there together. He then said that the new house was a gift to Mak Som. She didn't want the house at first and said that she didn't have enough money to pay for it. After making her believing that it was a gift of love from the villagers, she finally accepted. With tears of joy, Mak Som thanked every one of the villagers. The villagers were glad that they had done something for this elderly member of their community.