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Thumbelina Audiobook
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(4.08) - 72 listener ratings
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Publisher Description
Thumbelina is the story about a little girl’s dedication and love for the old woman who gave her life. This is a new version of a classic tale set to beautiful classical music from beginning to end.
Once upon a time, there was an old woman. She was very kind and loving. She also was very lonely, because she had no children. Quite often, she dreamed about having a little girl whom she would love and care for. One morning, in one of her flowers, she found a little girl. The girl was so small—smaller than the thumb on the old woman’s hand. The woman gave her a name: Thumbelina. She loved to take care of her little granddaughter, and Thumbelina loved to help her granny to take care of her flowers and feed the birds in their garden. They were very happy together. But one night, a big, ugly toad jumped through the window and took the girl away. The toad wanted Thumbelina to marry her son. The marriage didn’t take place, but Thumbelina was left alone in the middle of the swamp, not knowing how she could get back home to the old woman, who, she knew, was very worried about her. On her way back home, she met a lot of strange characters: a large may bug, a small mouse, a blind mole, and a beautiful prince—some good, some not so good, and some quite ignorant. The end of this story will touch your heart.
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"Again, I have yet to be disappointed by any of the retelling of these classic fables. This version of Hans Christian Andersen's Thumbelina by Brian Anderson. The watercolor pictures in this book are lovely and filled with rich colors of yellows, reds, and greens. This book is simple enough for the youngest child and also clever enough for older children because it introduces various words, such as, obstoprolous. These classic fables are timeless and if I, a 34 year old mom can enjoy them, then boys and girls of all ages can enjoy these fables. The adventures that Thumbelina encounters are so fun and you imagine yourself taking the same journey."
— Lisa (5 out of 5 stars)
Thumbelina Listener Reviews
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" One of my favorite fantasies. "
— ♥KRiSTiN3♥, 2/15/2014 -
" I miss Thumbelina. :) "
— Laura, 1/27/2014 -
" This story of Thumbelina is well written and the pictures are very vibrant and intreguing. This story is about a small girl who gets kidnapped and is now trying to find her place in this huge world. I think that this is a good story to read to a 4th or 5th grade class, maybe 3rd grade. "
— Emily, 1/22/2014 -
" I've always loved Thumbelina, and I was very happy to find that the movie is actually relatively close to the original story. That's surprising. Seriously, though, I love this story (once again) because of the unforgettable characters, great imagination, and overall beauty in his simple descriptions. "
— Laina, 1/19/2014 -
" I read this a book a long time ago!! "
— Shahmeer, 1/11/2014 -
" The illustrations by Bagram Ibatoulline in this adapation of Hans Christian Andersen's Thumbelina were just beautiful, which is really what made this adaptation by Brian Alderson special, I think. The story itself seemed a little choppy, or flat, perhaps, although I'm not really familiar with the story of Thumbelina, so I don't know what this particular version was lacking. I just didn't think there was anything truly special about the way the words came together in this rendition. The illustrations, though, told the story beautifully, probably better than the text did. In fact, it was the gorgeous cover illustration that caught my eye and caused me to pull this book off the library shelf in the first place. They make this book worth a read, or at least worth a viewing. "
— Amy, 1/9/2014 -
" As a child,I was so much in love with fairy tales.I still do like them but not as I did before.I wish I could,though. "
— Ginny, 1/9/2014 -
" A very nice version of a tale I loved when I was little (though not *that* little ;), and am not now so impressed by. I think then I was just enchanted by all thing miniature (The Borrowers, The Littles, dolls, etc.) and now I want more complexity & richer humanity in my stories. "
— Cheryl, 12/28/2013 -
" Hans Christian Anderson is one of my favorite authors of all time ... enchanting ... that's what he is. "
— Mariecar, 12/28/2013 -
" funny story "
— Sylia, 11/6/2013 -
" 39 months - I had really never read this story before and we both enjoyed it as well as the illustrations. "
— Heather, 11/3/2013 -
" This is my favorite book from my childhood! <3 #LOVE "
— Shani, 10/23/2013 -
" This is a fun book and the parts that the child is supposed to read are just right for my oldest. I'm hoping to find more in this series! "
— Janell's, 10/2/2013 -
" I have always loved this story of the little girl who goes through such trials to be happy, but it tells aCinderella story, of hoping and wishing and being kind. "
— Angela, 9/20/2013 -
" A very sweet and beautiful story. "
— John, 8/18/2013 -
" The story is not my favorite, but the colorful, clear pictures are better than most to look at. "
— Melinda, 7/30/2013 -
" I love this book! I remember this being another book that I would always bring to my mom to read to me. Would be good to talk about parts of a story with children! "
— Carissa, 4/8/2013 -
" This book is great for kids. It teaches them even if your small, you can still be someone. It's a good life lesson for them. "
— Noelle, 12/5/2012 -
" I don't particularly care for this story, but my girls really like it... "
— Marilyn, 10/8/2012 -
" my childhood "
— Pardis, 6/19/2012 -
" The long version of the story of Thumbelina had my boys hanging on their seats. We loved the beautiful illustrations and how Hans Christian Anderson was inserted at the end.... "
— Shellys♥, 4/17/2012 -
" A sweet fairy tale. "
— Rachel, 2/14/2012 -
" Cute illustrations. My kids enjoyed it. "
— Rebecca, 11/27/2011 -
" A wonderful book for children. "
— Jessica, 11/7/2011 -
" Another one of my recent Lizbeth Zwerger pick-ups. A simple but poignant story (translated from the Danish by Richard and Clara Winston)with beautiful illustrations by Zwerger "
— Kevin, 10/16/2011 -
" A nice kids story :) "
— Alusha, 9/29/2011 -
" Wonderful retelling of the classic, illustrated beautifully by Brad Sneed. Love the little glimpse of Hans Christian Andersen at the end. "
— Kia, 9/26/2011 -
" This deserves a 3.5, in my opinion, but the low rating has more to do with the tale than the illustrations. Thumbelina moves from fiance to fiance so flippantly. I absolutely loved the gorgeous illustrations by Brad Pinkney. "
— Jennifer, 8/3/2011 -
" A wonderful story with great illustrations. This book will charm you with vibrant colors and an imaginative tale. "
— Travis, 7/28/2011 -
" I have always loved this story of the little girl who goes through such trials to be happy, but it tells aCinderella story, of hoping and wishing and being kind. "
— Angela, 4/30/2011 -
" I love this book! I remember this being another book that I would always bring to my mom to read to me. Would be good to talk about parts of a story with children! "
— Carissa, 2/27/2011 -
" Maggie and I just read this. Beautiful illustrations. I'm going to get more books out from the library by this very talented author/illustrator! "
— Robin, 9/29/2010 -
" A nice kids story :) "
— Alusha, 8/20/2010 -
" A shortened retelling of Thumbelina, but the illustrations show a light-skinned Black miniature girl instead of the typical White depiction. However, the culture of the story has not been changed. For those who love the classic fairy tales, this provides a new look. "
— J-Lynn, 5/3/2010 -
" great fairy tale. i loved this story when i was younger... ok i still do now!! "
— Mandy, 2/10/2010
About Hans Christian Andersen
Hans Christian Andersen (1805–1875) was born in Odense, Denmark, the son of a poor shoemaker and a washerwoman. As a young teenager, he became quite well known in Odense as a reciter of drama and as a singer. When he was fourteen, he set off for the capital, Copenhagen, determined to become a national success on the stage. He failed miserably, but made some influential friends in the capital who got him into school to remedy his lack of proper education. In 1829 his first book was published. After that, books came out at regular intervals. His stories began to be translated into English as early as 1846. Since then, numerous editions, and more recently Hollywood songs and Disney cartoons, have helped to ensure the continuing popularity of the stories in the English-speaking world.
About the Narrators
Tamsin Greig is an award-winning actress known for Shaun of the Dead, Episodes, and Tamara Drewe. She has been married to fellow actor Richard Leaf since May 1997. They have three children.
Ursula Anderman graduated magna cum laude from Stephen College Department of Theater Arts in 2006 and has since been very active in theaters around the Washington, DC, area. In addition to being an actress, she is a trained singer, plays the piano and violin, and loves performing for children.