Thumbelina

by Hans Christian Andersen, Diane Vanden Hoven Narrated by Noelle Dupuis

Overview

Once upon a time there was a woman who was sad because she had no children. One day she planted a magic seed and from the seed grew a flower. Inside the flower was a tiny, exquisite girl no bigger than the woman's thumb. Her name was Thumbelina.

The two lived happily together until an ugly old toad snuck in and snatched Thumbelina away. So began Thumbelina's adventures in a world full of dangers for little people. Luckily, size isn't all that matters, and Thumbelina's kindness and courage bring her long-lasting happiness.

Editorial Reviews

From the Publisher

'This particular retelling is lovely in its simplicity and accompanied by gorgeous illustrations from Elsa Beskow. Young readers will love the beautiful pictures depicting tiny Thumbelina and the many creatures she encounters. They'll wonder at how she finds herself almost married to so many unappealing creatures, and they'll cheer every time she manages to become free again. This is a great version of a classic tale.'
– San Francisco Book Review

'This is a very pretty illustrated version of the tale.'
– Youth Services Book Review

Kirkus Reviews

2015-07-22
The adventures of a tiny girl amid flora and fauna in an imaginary land are again presented for young readers. The text is acceptably adapted and accessible, but the illustrations, thickly textured and deeply colored, are leaden and rely on fashion rather than magic for their distinctiveness. The illustrator veers back and forth distractingly in her depiction of clothing, from the traditional 19th-century peasant dress with apron and kerchief of the field mouse to the 1920s look of the three female June bugs (cockchafers in some versions) who declare Thumbelina's utter unsuitability as a mate for the big June bug who tries to capture her. The ugly toad who first steals her from her walnut-shell bed for her own son (shown in denim overalls) wears a frumpy pink polka-dot dress of no particular vintage. The haughty mole who wants to marry the girl wears a red fez and a fur-trimmed jacket to portray his wealth. Thumbelina wears simple white dresses, symbolizing her purity, but there is a lack of the magical lightness necessary to the tale. Even the double-page spread of the wedding scene when Thumbelina, with her large, Margaret Keane-like eyes, finally finds a suitable mate of just the right height, seems heavy and contrived. While Andersen's imaginative story, first published in 1835, keeps children listening or reading, this edition adds nothing new or special to a long literary history. (Picture book. 5-8)

Product Details

BN ID:	2940160576312
Publisher:	Blackstone Audio, Inc.
Publication date:	03/12/2024
Edition description:	Unabridged
Age Range:	8 - 11 Years

Read an Excerpt

Once upon a time there was a woman whose only desire was to have a tiny little child. Now she had no idea where she could get one, so she went to an old witch and asked her: "Please, could you tell me where I could get a tiny little child? I would so love to have one."

"That is not so difficult," said the witch. "Here is a grain of barley; it is not the kind that grows in the farmer's fields or that you can feed to the chickens. Plant it in a flowerpot and watch what happens."



Excerpted from Thumbelina by Hans Christian Andersen. Translation copyright (c) 1974 by Erik Haugaard. Illustrations copyright (c) 1996 by Arlene Graston. Excerpted by permission of Delacorte Press, a division of the Bantam Doubleday Dell Publishing Group, Inc. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.

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