GOOD news for literature-lovers. Parents, teachers and children in the territory now have a better choice of children's literature. The Rock House Publisher is introducing a series of Hans Christian Andersen fairy tales in Chinese. These include The Little Match Girl, The Emperor's Clothes, The Pig Keeper, The Little Mermaid, The Ugly Duckling, The Wild Swans, A Gift for Hans, The Travelling Companion, The Nightingale and She was Good for Nothing . 'We noticed that there is a lack of children's literature in Hong Kong. Most of the literature are in English. Even if there are Chinese books, most are of poor quality.' 'We decided to publish Andersen's fairy tales with the hope of encouraging excellence in Chinese children's literature as well as to provide healthy books for the citizens of tomorrow,' said Dr Timothy Yu, owner-publisher of the company. Andersen's fairy tales focus on fun and excitement, while some are heart-warming. They successfully reflect the young life. 'It is easy for teenagers to get the message from Andersen's fairy tales. His work is positive and has helped to inspire young people.' To ensure the excellence of these literature, Rock House puts a lot of effort into its work. 'We care about the content of the story as well as the quality of writing, illustration, editing and printing,' said Dr Yu, who is also chief editor of the company. In addition to Andersen's tales, they have published Papa Panov , a fairy tale written by Leo Tolstoy, the author of War and Peace , and The Three Trees , a fairy tale written by Dr Yu himself. As for teenage readers, the company has published Heidi and Pinocchio . Lew Wallace's Ben Fur and Stow's Uncle Tom's Cabin will be available later. To promote good literature, the company organised a 'Little Goodwill Ambassador' contest recently. 'The competition was aimed at encouraging parents to offer their children good literature such as Andersen's work,' Dr Yu said. Anne Lau, 11, was the champion and she was awarded a one-week trip to Copenhagen with her mother, accompanied by two journalists.
