Thumbelina
Once upon a time, there was a very lonely lady.
She had always dreamed of having a child of her own,
so she traveled far, far away to meet with a great wizard and ask him for help.
The wizard gave her one seed from a magic flower.
Watch over this seed and nourish it with your love.
When it grows, you will have a child.
The lady thanked him and gently held the seed to her heart.
When she returned home, she carefully planted the seed in a pot and tended it every day.
She placed the pot on a windowsill so it would get plenty of warm sunlight, and watered it often so it wouldn't get thirsty.
As the days went on, the seed sprouted.
Green leaves emerged from the soil, and soon a lovely flower appeared, spreading its soft petals.
Oh, the flower has blossomed at last!
It is even more beautiful than I imagined!
She leaned closer to smell its sweet fragrance.
Suddenly, something wonderful happened...
Oh my goodness, how tiny she is, and how beautiful!
You will be my child and I will call you Thumbelina, because you are as small as my thumb.
The lady was delighted that the flower had given her the daughter she dreamed of.
Thumbelina and her mother were very happy together.
But then, something terrible happened.
A toad who had seen Thumbelina by the pond fell in love with her.
One night, when everyone was asleep, he snuck into the house.
Ah! There she is.
The toad approached Thumbelina.
Ha ha ha! I will make Thumbelina my wife!
Grabbing the sleeping Thumbelina in his mouth, he hopped away back to his pond.
The next morning, the toad left Thumbelina on a lotus leaf in the middle of the pond.
He went to bring his friends so he could show off his new bride.
Thumbelina was very frightened and began to cry.
Help! Is anyone there? Please help me!
A fish who had been swimming past heard Thumbelina's call and came to her aid.
I cannot let that ugly toad marry that lovely, tiny girl!
The fish chewed through the lotus stem so Thumbelina could float away.
Thank you so much for rescuing me!
I am glad I am free of that awful toad, but I hope I will not get swept away by the current.
A the lotus leaf drifted slowly down the stream and Thumbelina grew more and more nervous.
Just as the lotus leaf approached the edge of a roaring waterfall,
a beetle descended from the sky and snatched Thumbelina away to safety.
Please Mr. Beetle, where are you taking me?
Oh~ my lovely, I want to show you to my friends.
The beetle thought Thumbelina was very pretty and wanted to introduce her to the other beetles.
The beetle's friends were not impressed, and laughed at Thumbelina.
What's that? It's so tiny, and it doesn't even have wings!
She's so ugly! Definitely nothing to brag about!
Their taunts made the beetle angry and embarrassed.
He decided to abandon her in the forest.
But I don't even know where I am!
Frightened and lost, Thumbelina wandered through the forest trying to find the way home.
I will never see my home or my mother again!
As she trudged through the forest, Thumbelina came upon a lovely little cottage.
The cottage belongs to Mrs. Mouse
Mrs. Mouse could see that Thumbelina was tired and scared and felt sorry for her.
Oh my, you poor little girl.
She invited Thumbelina to come inside.
Please come in and rest.
Thank you!
Mrs. Mouse lived all alone, so she was glad to have Thumbelina there to keep her company.
She took care of Thumbelina as she would her own daughter.
She fed her delicious food and they played fun games together.
One day, Mrs. Mouse's rich neighbor, Mr. Mole came to visit.
Good morning, Mrs. Mouse.
He fell in love with Thumbelina the moment he saw her and decided to marry her.
I will give you a big portion of my crop in exchange for Thumbelina's hand in marriage.
What?
Mrs. Mouse felt uneasy about giving Thumbelina away to the old mole, but she gave him her promise anyway.
I will come back for her later.
When Mr. Mole left, Mrs. Mouse tried to console Thumbelina and persuade her that this was the only way.
Honey, Mr. Mole is very rich. He will take care of you and give you good things to eat.
But, I like it here! I want to stay with you. I don't want to go
I am so sorry, but I don't have enough food left to feed both of us anymore. I can't take care of you.
Thumbelina felt miserable and alone again, and she cried and cried.
The following morning Thumbelina was wandering through the garden thinking about her sorrows,
when she came upon an injured swallow lying on the ground.
Ms. Swallow, are you hurt? Are you okay?
Yes, I have hurt my ankle, and now I can't fly.
I can help you, wait for me!
Thumbelina ran back into the house.
Thumbelina soon returned bringing some ointments and bandages for the swallow's leg.
Thank you! How can I ever repay you?
Thumbelina was silent and sad, and the swallow could see that something was troubling her.
Please tell me why you are unhappy. I will help you.
Thumbelina told the swallow all about her adventures and troubles, and about how she didn't want to marry the rich old mole.
Don't be frightened. Just climb on my back, and we will fly far away from here!
Thumbelina climbed onto the swallow's back and flew away with her.
Ms. Swallow, where are you taking me?
I am taking you to a place where you will be very happy.
That sounds wonderful! Where is it?
It's on the other side of that hill. It is a very special place for kind little people like you.
Thank you, Ms. Swallow... Good-bye!
The place the swallow had brought Thumbelina to was called Flowerland.
Oh, this land is so beautiful, and the flowers smell so sweet!
She fell in love with Flowerland and finally felt like she belonged to.
At that moment, the Prince of Flowerland landed beside her.
Tell me, beautiful maiden, what is your name?
I am Thumbelina.
I am the Prince of the Flower Land. Will you marry me, Thumbelina?
Thumbelina suddenly felt bashful, but she smiled an nodded.
Thumbelina and the Prince of the Flower Land got married and lived happily ever after.