La Petite Sirene (French Well Loved Tales)
by Hans Christian Andersen
Picture book · ages 5–9 · grades K–4 · 550L · 64 pages · 2020
Why we'd hand it over
Andersen's original — dark, yearning, and structurally heartbreaking — illustrated beautifully but genuinely sad; a corrective to the Disney version that respects children's capacity for melancholy.