Thumbelina (Däumlienchen)

In a forest once grew a beautiful flower.

And from that flower was born a beautiful and tiny little girl,

who was so small that she was called Thumbelina.

A large wet toad climbed out of the river and saw Thumbelina.

What a lovely wife for my son.

Suddenly, the toad grabbed Thumbelina and carried her off to the river,

where she imprisoned her on a water lily in the middle of the water.

I will fetch my son.

Thumbelina was very frightened and cried.

The fishes heard her and had pity on her.

They decided to help her by gnawing away the stem of the water lily.

Thumbelina was free.

And soon she was floating down the river, far away,

where the toad could not reach her.

She is gone.

A butterfly came by and offered to help her.

Thumbelina tied her sash to the butterfly and was pulled gaily down the stream.

At length, Thumbelina left the river and climbed out on the land

and said goodbye to the butterfly.

All summer, Thumbelina played happily by the river.

The beetles helped her. The birds and the bees sang to her.

And all the animals, the hedgehogs, the rabbits and the squirrels, played with her.

But summer was ending.

Poor little Thumbelina was cold and hungry and alone.

And the swallows flew south to the warm sun.

A field mouse asked her if she would help her in her house.

She was expecting a visitor and everything must be clean and tidy.

Soon, something could be heard scratching at the trap door in the corner.

It was the visitor, a rich mole who lived deep under the earth,

and who had built a long tunnel from his house to the field mouse's.

The mole was delighted with Thumbelina and was anxious to marry her

and take her with him to his house deep under the earth.

Poor little Thumbelina was afraid of the mole.

She didn't want to marry him and live deep in the ground,