Tom Thumb

(Paperback)

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Description

The famous tale from the Brothers Grimm included in this book is only one of the stories from around the world about a very diminutive but resourceful character trying to earn his or her place in the world. This international collection of stories revolves around a surprisingly frequent theme: an extremely tiny child who starts out in life either unwanted or humorously accident prone. A quest begins, often initiated by one of these accidents or by a spectacular event that could only befall someone two inches tall. The character must use wit, heroics, and even trickery, to survive a series of adventures that are sometimes exciting--sometimes harrowing.

Reviews

Not only are the stories fascinating, but despite their origins, each one will be familiar to everyone, for they contain elements of the individual tales that we are most familiar with. The books are efficient in explaining where the stories come from and their mutations over time and land....a section, entitled, "Essays, Activities and Resources," which encourage a fuller understanding of a world which is both foreign and familiar. These books are definitely an asset to multicultural literature and makes the comprehension of other cultures that much more accessible.-MultiCultural Education
Teachers seem to be looking for prepackaged sources that do a lot of the work for them. This series fits that criteria well....Two more worthwhile titles cutting corners for those of us looking for variants and for educators looking for alternative teaching tools.-Off-the-Loom
Teachers, librarians, storytellers and readers will want to read this book.-Territorial Tattler
This is still another excellent addition to a Series which has maintained a high professional quality for students of comparative folklore, storytellers, teachers and librarians, who will all find this a most useful addition to their collections.-Come-All-Ye
"Teachers seem to be looking for prepackaged sources that do a lot of the work for them. This series fits that criteria well....Two more worthwhile titles cutting corners for those of us looking for variants and for educators looking for alternative teaching tools."-Off-the-Loom
"Teachers, librarians, storytellers and readers will want to read this book."-Territorial Tattler
"This is still another excellent addition to a Series which has maintained a high professional quality for students of comparative folklore, storytellers, teachers and librarians, who will all find this a most useful addition to their collections."-Come-All-Ye
"Not only are the stories fascinating, but despite their origins, each one will be familiar to everyone, for they contain elements of the individual tales that we are most familiar with. The books are efficient in explaining where the stories come from and their mutations over time and land....a section, entitled, "Essays, Activities and Resources," which encourage a fuller understanding of a world which is both foreign and familiar. These books are definitely an asset to multicultural literature and makes the comprehension of other cultures that much more accessible."-MultiCultural Education

Author Bio

MARGARET READ MACDONALD is a children's librarian with the King County Library System, Seattle, Washington. She is on the board of the National Association for the Preservation and Perpetuation of Storytelling (NAPPS) and has edited numerous collections of folktales for storytellers, including The Storyteller's Sourcebook, Twenty Tellable Tales, and Peace Tales: World Folktales to Talk About. Dr. MacDonald holds a Ph.D. in folklore from Indiana University, Bloomington.