Brian Alderson

Written in 1835, this is one of Hans Christian Andersen's first fairytales. While today the title is Thumbelina, throughout the years, the name changed from Tommelise, Little Ellie, and Little Totty.

This was also the first tale wherein Anderson used an animal/bird as a rescuing force.

The story starts with the swallow who tells the story of a woman who longed for a child. Visiting a local witch, she was given a few seeds of barleycorn. When a bud broke forth in the soil, one tight bud unfolded. And, as it opened the teeny, tiny wonderously formed little girl appeared. She was no bigger than a thumb.

Throughout the tale, Thumbelina experiences many adventures and comes upon those, very unlike her, who want to claim and marry her. First a toad looks in the open window and kidnaps Thumbelina, taking her to live on a lilly pad.
It is the river fish who hears her cries and rubbed the lillypad stalk until it broke.

Another creature, this time a beautiful butterfly landed on her lillypad and, taking her dress sash and roping it gently around the butterfly, she is carried down stream. Followed now by nasgy looking may bugs who flew her away, talking her to their home wherein she is deemed two footed ugly and skinny. Too ugly to keep, they dump her on a daisy.

Winter occurs and dejected and cold, she is rescued by a fieldmouse who captures her and makes her keep his abode clean while reading stories to him. He then set-up a visit with an old mole like creature who vows to marry her and keep her in the dark underground.

As they walk through his underground tunnels, they come upon a sparrow, presumed dead. Thumbelina rescues the sparrow from death by keeping it warm with a blanket. On her wedding day, the sparrow flew up through a hole in the ground taking her away as they flew high above the ground, soaring in the air.

In the end, the sparrow gently drops her with the Crystal Fairies who live where she once dwelt. Each flower contains a male and female fairy. The bud she landed upon contained the Crystal King. They married, and each year the sparrow returns to watch over her.

Once again, Bagram Ibatoulline provides detailed, beautiful illustrations that make the story come to life.… (mere)