by Jerry Pinkney

One frigid New Year's Eve a young girl is sent out on the streets by her father to sell matches and artificial flowers.  The child is so poor she is wearing her mother's large shoes.  As she crosses the street she loses them and is left to walk in her torn up socks.  Exausted from a day of not selling any matches and flowers the girl finds a corner to rest at and get out of the cold wind.  She is tempted to light one of the matches, but she is fearful of what her father would do to her.  She strikes one match and sees a vision of a blazing stove and as she starts to feel warm the match burns out.  She light another and sees a mouth watering feast, yet again the match burns out.  Another match reveals a beautiful Christmas tree.  She notices a falling star above her.  She remembers her grandmother telling her that "when a star fall, a soul is going up to God."  She stikes another match and sees her grandmother.  She lights another match and she sees herself spending time with her grandmother.  Not wanting the vision of her grandmother to disappear she strikes all the matches and begs her grandmother to take her with her.  Morning comes and ... you'll have to read the story to find out the ending.