When I started reading Thumbelina I honestly didn't remember how the story goes so the book was quite exciting. It was written by Hans Christian Andersen and published for the first time in 1835 in Denmark. It wasn't well received because the critics felt it lacked proper morals and was too informal and chatty and thus inappropriate for children's literature.
I did question Thumbelina's morals too at one point. At another point I thought she had too much morals.
I did question Thumbelina's morals too at one point. At another point I thought she had too much morals.
[[[SPOILER ALERT]]] Basically, there's a lady who really wants a child but can't have one. She begs help from a good witch who then gives her seeds and the lady plants them. A pretty flower grows overnight with a miniature girl inside - Thumbelina. The mother loves Thumbelina and takes care of her, she makes a bed for her out of "highly polished walnut shell".
.
.
One night a froggie jumps in through the window and steals sleeping Thumbie. She tries to hook Thumbelina up with her "dull-witted" toad son and make her live in a mud house for the rest of her life as Mrs Toad. Some compassionate fish help Thumbelina to escape. Then a bug grabs her and wants to marry her.
At the bug's party all his friends say that she looks weird, she's too skinny, she's ugly because she's different… And so the bug takes Thumbie and dumps her on a random daisy.
This was a good moral teaching in my opinion. Andersen made a point that it's silly to judge someone because they're different. So Thumbie makes a house in a mushroom.
At the bug's party all his friends say that she looks weird, she's too skinny, she's ugly because she's different… And so the bug takes Thumbie and dumps her on a random daisy.
This was a good moral teaching in my opinion. Andersen made a point that it's silly to judge someone because they're different. So Thumbie makes a house in a mushroom.
Winter comes and she finds shelter at Madam Fieldmouse's residence which is a house in an old tree stump.
Madam Fieldmouse tries to marry Thumbie with an old mole who's pretty gross. Mr Mole hates sunshine, bird song, adventures, ocean - all the things Thumbelina loves.
Thumbelina saves a bird's life who fell into Mole's underground tunnels and the bird falls in love with her. I can see what the Danish critics were talking about 200 years ago -- there surely are elements of…the Housewives of the Daisyfield… with love triangles and fourangles and fiveangles...
The bird flies south for winter and asks Thumbie to go with him. SHE REFUSES! Because she feels obligated to keep her promise to her benefactor Fieldmouse to marry the mole. Uh oh! Some serious, annoying morals here.
Which end quickly. It's been months and the wedding approaches. Thumbie hears a familiar bird singing - it's her bird lover who comes to check if Thumbie's still going to marry the monster mole or leave with him to south for the winter. Thumbie apologizes to Fieldmouse who's totally understanding and appears to want to marry the mole herself now. And off Thumbelina flies on top of the bird.
She wakes up in a rose in an astounding field of flowers and a big castle. In the rose next to her is a miniature prince who wants to crown her his queen. His pick-up line is solid: "Are you the Rose Queen? You are so beautiful that I think you must be."
Thumbie thinks the prince is fairer than anyone she's ever seen. He has wings too. Lots of other miniature people are peeking at them from the nearby flowers. Thumbie becomes his queen, receives wings and everyone rejoices. Birds sing, and most sweetly the one who loved Thumbie. He's happy for her too. Just see the morals here.
"Finally she had found a home where she truly belonged." Ok. Well. Ok. I get that you're likely the happiest when surrounded by people who are 'your kind' or have similar mindsets than you. That could of course happen with individuals from other species, not just among miniatures. But whatever. Here's my Thumbelina moral upheaval: WHAT ABOUT THE MOTHER???!!
She wakes up one day and the daughter she so loved and cherished is gone forever. AND Thumbelina doesn't even think of her mother for once during her whole romance mess. And she's perfectly happy staying with her prince forever after in the pretty flower kingdom.
That's all I was thinking about when I finished reading Thumbelina yesterday on the bus. How about at the very least making the bird give her mom a little message she's ok? No.. Nada. I was flabbergasted. That's just not cool.
All in all, Thumbelina's a pretty good book. The pictures captured me completely. It's nice reading on your way to work. But I must say I have higher hopes for my next book: Good Fairies, Bad Fairies by Brian Froud.
Thumbelina saves a bird's life who fell into Mole's underground tunnels and the bird falls in love with her. I can see what the Danish critics were talking about 200 years ago -- there surely are elements of…the Housewives of the Daisyfield… with love triangles and fourangles and fiveangles...
The bird flies south for winter and asks Thumbie to go with him. SHE REFUSES! Because she feels obligated to keep her promise to her benefactor Fieldmouse to marry the mole. Uh oh! Some serious, annoying morals here.
Which end quickly. It's been months and the wedding approaches. Thumbie hears a familiar bird singing - it's her bird lover who comes to check if Thumbie's still going to marry the monster mole or leave with him to south for the winter. Thumbie apologizes to Fieldmouse who's totally understanding and appears to want to marry the mole herself now. And off Thumbelina flies on top of the bird.
She wakes up in a rose in an astounding field of flowers and a big castle. In the rose next to her is a miniature prince who wants to crown her his queen. His pick-up line is solid: "Are you the Rose Queen? You are so beautiful that I think you must be."
Thumbie thinks the prince is fairer than anyone she's ever seen. He has wings too. Lots of other miniature people are peeking at them from the nearby flowers. Thumbie becomes his queen, receives wings and everyone rejoices. Birds sing, and most sweetly the one who loved Thumbie. He's happy for her too. Just see the morals here.
"Finally she had found a home where she truly belonged." Ok. Well. Ok. I get that you're likely the happiest when surrounded by people who are 'your kind' or have similar mindsets than you. That could of course happen with individuals from other species, not just among miniatures. But whatever. Here's my Thumbelina moral upheaval: WHAT ABOUT THE MOTHER???!!
She wakes up one day and the daughter she so loved and cherished is gone forever. AND Thumbelina doesn't even think of her mother for once during her whole romance mess. And she's perfectly happy staying with her prince forever after in the pretty flower kingdom.
That's all I was thinking about when I finished reading Thumbelina yesterday on the bus. How about at the very least making the bird give her mom a little message she's ok? No.. Nada. I was flabbergasted. That's just not cool.
All in all, Thumbelina's a pretty good book. The pictures captured me completely. It's nice reading on your way to work. But I must say I have higher hopes for my next book: Good Fairies, Bad Fairies by Brian Froud.
You actually turn this book upside down and from the other side it starts with good fairies, and the other side is the cover of 'Bad Fairies'. Ooooh!!