THE LITTLE MATCH GIRL STRIKES BACK

This retelling of a Hans Christian Andersen tale casts the little Matchstick Girl as a social reformer.

Instead of a nameless, tragic waif, here the matchstick seller is Bridie Sweeney, a fiery redhead. While her younger brother makes matchboxes and her mother works with toxic chemicals in the match factory, Bridie walks the streets of Victorian London, hawking her wares by persuading passersby that her matches are magical. When a promising day turns terrible, Bridie is left with three damaged matches. She strikes one and makes a wish for the kind of life the wealthy factory owner has—and sees what everyone else’s labor purchases for him. Subsequent wishes connect her with Annie Besant, a kind woman who campaigns for workers’ rights. Inspired by the match magic’s visions, Bridie pushes the factory workers to strike. Here, the narrative shifts from description to mere summary, occasionally jumping forward in time to let readers know how things eventually turn out. The result is didactic and simplistic, an agenda as worthy as it is, unfortunately, transparent. Artwork throughout includes creative typographic styling and black-and-white illustrations with pops of red for Bridie’s hair and match flames. An author’s note reveals the factual basis of the story (the factory, the big strike over an unjust firing, and activist Besant are real), while an illustrator’s note details historical references used in the art. Backmatter includes period photographs. Characters present white.

Preachy and painfully earnest.