Author(s): Hans Christian Anderson

Fairytales, Myths and Legends

A farmer's wife who has always wanted a child asks a wise old woman where she can find one. The woman gives her a magic grain of corn which grows into a beautiful flower in which sits the tiniest little girl - 'exactly the same size as your thumb' - hence her name, Thumbelina. She lives happily with the farmer's wife until an ugly toad leaps through a broken window and hops off with her. So begins Thumbelina's fantastic and often frightening adventures. The magic of the original story is retained in this sensitive retelling in which Thumbelina's miniature world is brought to life with stunning detailed illustrations of giant insects, plants and the underground tunnels of the blind old mole's home. The story culminates in the glorious Land of the Flowers where the heroine is joyfully married to the Flower Prince.