The Huckster and the Goblin, Hans Christian Anderson, Read by Melissa Sokol

The Huckster and the Goblin by Hans Christian Anderson  tells the story of a little goblin who appreciates the pleasures of life.  But when disaster strikes he must make a difficult choice to give up one pleasure for another.  

I wonder if Hans Christian Anderson knew the difficulty of making choices as he was a poor writer in his youth. This story makes me think he did.   Hans was born to a poor shoemaker on April 2, 1805 in Odense, Denmark.  He grew up in poverty, but his father taught Hans the joys  of the imagination.   I believe that when he grew up and wanted to be writer, Hans identified with the poor student in this story. 

There are times when all of us will be forced to make difficult choices.   The fires come whipping down from the foothills in California where I grew up. They can lay waste to your home in a matter of minutes.  You grab the family pets and make it out with your life.  Maybe you grab one or two more things.  But what? A box of jewelry? A small work of art?  Great grandpa's photo album?  It makes you think about what's important. 

Hans' story of the little goblin making a big choice is poignant and also full of humor.  I enjoyed it and I think others will too. 

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I adapted my reading from the version I found at Gutenberg.org.:  

Hans Anderson's Fairy Tales, 

Second Series Editor J.H. Stickney, 

Illustrations Edna F. Hart.  Release Date, May 28, 2010