hans christian andersen’s the tin soldierthe tin...

Exciting Reading with Fun Activities

Copyright 2011 Houston Chronicle

Hans Christian Andersen’sHans Christian Andersen’sHans Christian Andersen’sHans Christian Andersen’s

The Tin SoldierThe Tin SoldierThe Tin SoldierThe Tin Soldier Illustrated by Gary Tuttle

Chapter 1

Once upon a time, many years ago, a young boy received a birthday present of ten tin soldiers. When

the boy unwrapped the soldiers, lining them up on the floor, he noticed that one of the tin soldiers had

been made with only one leg. He was asked whether he would like to have this soldier replaced; but,

strangely, he liked this injured tin soldier best of all. The boy believed that this tin soldier was braver

and more courageous than any of the other soldiers. The boy came to depend on the injured tin soldier

to lead the others in the imaginary battles that were fought in his room each day. He would place the

one-legged tin soldier in the front lines, and would urge him to encourage the other soldiers when they

had a difficult enemy to face.

The boy did not know that each night the toys stretched themselves, moved about a bit, and had

conversations amongst themselves. One night, the little boy left the injured tin soldier next to the pretty

tin ballerina that had been left in the room by the boy’s older sister years ago. The little metal soldier

began to speak to the ballerina, and they became very friendly. Little by little, the tin soldier fell in love

with the ballerina, but he never found the courage to tell her of his feelings. The ballerina was also shy.

Although she often asked the tin soldier how he felt when he fought battles, and told him how brave he

seemed to be, she never mentioned that she loved him.

One day the tin soldier and the ballerina were separated. The little boy placed the tin soldier on the

windowsill and said, “The enemy may be sneaking up on us. You’ll be able to see them from here.

Watch out and send a message if you see anything suspicious.”

Although it was cold and snowy outside, the little boy left the window slightly open. In the middle of

the night, a gust of wind shook the curtains around the tin soldier and knocked him off the windowsill.

The tin soldier landed on the sidewalk with his bayonet stuck in the ground. As morning came, the

snow turned to rain, a driving rain, that melted the snow and created huge puddles in the streets and

along the gutters.

A few boys from the school down the block came running out to play when the rain let up a bit. Some

of the boys splashed through the large puddles, laughing and joking. Two of the boys walked close to

the house in which the little boy lived, and one of them noticed the tin soldier lying on the wet

sidewalk.

“Look what I found!” he said, stopping to pull the soldier out of the ground. He examined the tin

soldier, and was disappointed to see that this soldier was missing one leg. “Oh, he’s broken; he’s not

worth bothering with.” He brought his arm back to fling the tin soldier away.



“Wait!” said his friend. “I have an idea. See that paper boat floating in the water along the gutter? Let’s

put him in the boat and see where it takes him.” The boys placed the tin soldier in the paper boat, and

the tin soldier was carried swiftly toward the sewer drain. Neither boy noticed the look of horror and

dismay that came over the face of the tin soldier. The boat disappeared down the underground sewer,

and the tin soldier was determined to face his end bravely. The water from the sewer was swept into the

river, the little boat was overturned in the high waves, and the tin soldier sank into deep water.

Activities

1. The little boy thought the one-legged tin soldier was “braver and more courageous than any of the

other soldiers.” Is it possible for a soldier with one leg to be braver than soldiers who have no injury?

Does a person have to be physically strong to be brave? How do you define “bravery”? Look through

the Houston Chronicle for an article or story about someone who did something that you think is

brave. Explain what the person did.

2. “The Tin Soldier” describes toys that can talk and move around. Find one or two advertisements in

the Houston Chronicle that describe things that can move, talk, or do other things that real people or

animals can do. Cut out the advertisements and paste them on a piece of construction paper. Then,

write a list of ways these things are like the tin soldier and ways that they are different.



Hans Christian Andersen’sHans Christian Andersen’sHans Christian Andersen’sHans Christian Andersen’s

The Tin SoldierThe Tin SoldierThe Tin SoldierThe Tin Soldier Illustrated by Gary Tuttle

Chapter 2

As the tin soldier sank into the deep water, he thought about the friends he had left behind at the home

of the little boy. Most of all, he thought about the ballerina that he loved so well. “I will never see my

gentle, lovely friend,” he thought. “Now she will never know how I felt about her.”

Suddenly the tin soldier felt himself being pulled backwards. He had been swallowed by a large fish

and now found himself in its enormous, dark stomach!

Within moments, the fish was tossing from side to side, and then it was shooting rapidly forward. The

tin soldier could not know that the fish had been caught by a fisherman less than a minute after he had

been swallowed.

The very next day the large fish was brought to the market, and the cook, who lived in the very same

house as the little boy, was looking at it very carefully. “This will be perfect for the guests we are

expecting this evening,” she said. “I will take it home now and clean it this afternoon.”

The cook brought the fish to her kitchen and began to slice it open when the tin soldier fell out of its

belly. “My goodness,” said the cook. “This looks exactly like the tin soldier that the little boy has been

searching for.” The cook washed the tin soldier and brought him up to the little boy’s room.

When the little boy saw that his tin soldier had returned home, he began to jump with joy. “I knew you

would come home! Where have you been? How did you ever end up in a fish’s belly?” The little boy

asked dozens of questions, but the tin soldier did not answer any of them. However, the little boy was

certain that the tin soldier had a smile on his face that hadn't been there before.

The little boy put the tin soldier on the fireplace mantel, next to the ballerina, who was delighted to see

her beloved friend again. The tin soldier and the ballerina talked long into the night about all that had

occurred in the time since they had last seen each other. The other tin soldiers, relieved to see their

leader among them again, were anxious to speak to him, but they knew he wanted to spend this first

night home with the ballerina.

Just as all the toys were talking about the happy ending to their worries of the past few days, another

disaster struck the tin soldier and the ballerina. A gust of wind swept the ballerina off the mantel into

the fireplace. This was the worst possible place for a tin figure to land because the hot fire would melt

the ballerina, who was also made of tin. The tin soldier swayed on his one leg, trying to go to her

rescue. “I might not be able to save her, but at least we will be together,” he thought.



The tin soldier managed to propel himself off the mantel into the fireplace, landing next to the melting

ballerina. He lay there, also melting, unable to help her or himself escape the flames.

At that moment, the little boy saw the two tin figures among the flames of the fireplace. He dashed to

save them, using tongs to move them out of the flames. When the figures had cooled, the little boy

lifted them and was amazed at what he saw. The tin soldier and the ballerina were now forever together,

their bases melted together in the shape of a heart.

Activities

1. At the end of the story, the tin soldier and the ballerina are melted together, their “bases melted

together in the shape of a heart.” What does the heart symbolize (stand for)? Do you think this story

has a happy ending? Why or why not?

2. Scrambled Words

Unscramble the letters to spell the word that makes sense on each line.

A. The boy received the tin soldiers on his __________. ABDHIRTY

B. The tin soldier couldn't find the ____________ to tell the ballerina he loved her. ACEGORU

C. The boys from the school saw the tin soldier lying on

the ___________________. ADEIKLSW

D. When the water from the sewer was swept into the river, the little boat was

__________________________. DEENORRTUV

E. The cook thought the fish was perfect for their ________________. EGSSTU

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