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The Little Match Girl: a book club kit
Where it comes from. Hans Christian Andersen, a storyteller in Denmark, wrote this in 1845. It is one of his saddest and most famous tales.
In short (for the leader; it gives the ending away). On New Year's Eve a poor, cold little girl tries to sell matches in the snow, afraid to go home with none sold. She lights the matches to warm her hands and sees warm visions, and then her kind grandmother. In the morning people find that she has died of the cold.
The lesson, in one line. A suffering child deserves to be seen and helped before it is too late.
Reading plan, by the story's parts. Meeting 1: Part One, “The Last Evening of the Year” and Part Two, “The Corner”, pages 1–4 (about 4 minutes aloud); Meeting 2: Part Three, “The Matches” and Part Four, “Grandmother” and Part Five, “The New Year”, pages 5–9 (about 5 minutes aloud). Each stop's own questions, which never give away what comes next: The Little Match Girl by chapter.
Questions to talk about
- What is the moral of The Little Match Girl?
The story's answer: A suffering child deserves to be seen and helped before it is too late. People walk past her, and the story asks readers to notice. - Who wrote The Little Match Girl?
The story's answer: Hans Christian Andersen, a storyteller in Denmark, wrote it in 1845. It is one of his most famous tales. - Is The Little Match Girl a sad story?
The story's answer: Yes. The little girl dies at the end. Andersen also wrote that she saw her loving grandmother and was happy, so it is gentle as well as sad. Talk about it with a young reader. - What does the girl see in the matches?
The story's answer: In the light of each match she sees something warm and lovely that she longs for, and last of all her grandmother, who was kind to her. - Who in the story was kind, and who was not? How do you know?
Listen for: Ask for the moment in the story that shows it. - Which part would you change, and how would the story end then?
Listen for: There is no wrong ending; ask what else would have to change.
Did you know?
- Hans Christian Andersen, a Danish storyteller, wrote it in 1845.
- It is one of Andersen's saddest tales, and he meant readers to feel for children who are poor.
- Each match she strikes shows her a warm, bright thing she longs for.
Activity: Draw the story as a map
On one big sheet, draw every place the story happens and the path between them. Mark the spot where things go wrong and the spot where they come right.
More to talk about
- Is The Little Match Girl too sad for young children? It depends on the child. The girl dies of the cold at the end, though Andersen shows her being carried to her loving grandmother, and the story is really about noticing someone who needs help. Many families read it with a grown-up so they can talk about it. Peabody's version is at level 13, about an eighth-grade reading level.
More facts for the leader
- It is set on New Year's Eve, the last night of the old year.
Words to teach before you start
- deserted: empty of people
- misery: great unhappiness
- splendid: grand and lovely
- veil: thin cloth cover
- glimpsed: saw briefly
- brilliant: very bright
Questions leaders ask
How long does a The Little Match Girl book club meeting take?
Reading it aloud takes about 8 minutes in all, so plan one meeting of 30 to 45 minutes, with time left for the questions. The reading plan on the sheet says where to stop.
What age is The Little Match Girl for?
It is written at Peabody level 13, a grade 8 reading level, so most children at that level can read it alone. Younger children can listen to it read aloud.
Do the children need to read it before the meeting?
No. Each child can read it free on Peabody, before the meeting or together at it, and the questions work either way. The sheet's short version gives the ending away, so keep it for the leader.
How do I use the questions?
Start with the story's own questions, which have answers in the leader's notes, then move to the open ones and listen for reasons. There is no wrong answer to an open question. Stop when the group runs out of things to say.
Club kits for stories like this
- The Selfish Giant (level 11)
- Thumbelina (level 11)
- Beauty and the Beast (level 10)
- Rapunzel (level 10)
- Sleeping Beauty (level 10)
- The Twelve Dancing Princesses (level 10)
How this kit is made
The short version, the facts and the first questions with their answers are the story's own, written for its page in Peabody's library and checked against the sources named there. The open questions, the activity and the plan are Peabody's, written for this kind of story. No part of it is written by a computer model.
Running the meeting: the meeting plans (30, 45 and 60 minutes) and the sign-up sheet.