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Thumbelina

A fairy tale retold from Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales, by H. C. Andersen

This is the fairy tale Thumbelina (sometimes called Tommelise), written by the Danish author Hans Christian Andersen and first published in 1835. This text reflects its era; a few period terms have been modernised. Andersen's tale has been loved for nearly two hundred years because it shows a tiny girl with a brave heart who, despite being carried off by creatures who do not understand her, finds kindness in unexpected places—fish, a swallow—and at last discovers where she truly belongs. It is a story about patience, loyalty and the hope that goodness will be rewarded.

Band

Purple · Pre-readers and first readersTypical starting range: ages 4–5

Length

short · about 380 words in 6 sections · 4 pictures

Source

Hans Andersen's Fairy Tales, H. C. Andersen

First published

see the About page in the reader

Regions

Canada · United States

Included formats

• · Web reader and PDF
• · EPUB for e-readers
• · Home-print sheet
• · Folded booklet
• · Binder edition (8.5 × 11)
• · Worksheet
• · Quick Check (6 questions) with answer key
• · Read-aloud script
• · Colouring page
• · Teacher’s Edition (members)

Readers are engineered from the original public-domain text with AI under HummingRead’s published canon and Content Philosophy, checked by automated audit and sampled by a person. Pictures are made with AI to HummingRead’s brief for each story. How a reader is made.

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