Illustrated by Adrienne Adams
Translation: R.P. Keigwin
New York: Charles Scribner's Sons, 1961
A lovely version of the classic tale, this book was one of my favourites! As a young girl, I was enchanted with the idea of a child no bigger than your thumb growing inside a magic flower. Apparently the narcissus and tulips that grew in our yard, though very pretty, were not of the magic variety. Try as I might, no small girl or guardian flower sprites were ever found.
Stolen from her mother, Thumbelina escapes the clutches of an ugly toad and a tiresome tedious mole, both of whom want to claim her for their wife. A swallow that she nursed back from the brink of death carries her off to warmer lands and a kinder fate.
Exquisite illustrations enhance the experience of returning to a childhood favourite, they just don't make them like this anymore. To see more of Adrienne Adams work in this book, click here for a real treat.
** cross-posted at A Season to Read **
This is one of my childhood favorites :)
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