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Thumbelina: a book club kit
Where it comes from. Hans Christian Andersen, a storyteller in Denmark, wrote this in 1835. It was one of the first fairy tales he ever published.
In short (for the leader; it gives the ending away). A woman plants a magic barleycorn and a tiny girl, no bigger than a thumb, grows from a flower. Thumbelina is carried off by a toad and later by a mole's friends who want her to marry the mole. She is saved by a swallow she once nursed, and he carries her to a land of flower fairies, where she gets wings.
The lesson, in one line. A kind act can come back to help you when you need it most.
Reading plan, by the story's parts. Meeting 1: Part One, “The Barleycorn” and Part Two, “The Toad”, pages 1–5 (about 4 minutes aloud); Meeting 2: Part Three, “Down the Stream” and Part Four, “The Cold Winter” and Part Five, “The Field Mouse”, pages 6–11 (about 5 minutes aloud); Meeting 3: Part Six, “The Swallow” and Part Seven, “Flying Away” and Part Eight, “The Flower King”, pages 12–17 (about 5 minutes aloud). Each stop's own questions, which never give away what comes next: Thumbelina by chapter.
Questions to talk about
- What is the moral of Thumbelina?
The story's answer: A kind act can come back to help you when you need it most. Thumbelina cares for the swallow, and he later saves her. - Who wrote Thumbelina?
The story's answer: Hans Christian Andersen, a storyteller in Denmark, wrote it in 1835. It was one of the first fairy tales he published. - How small is Thumbelina?
The story's answer: She is about an inch high, so small that snowflakes are like shovelfuls to her and a walnut shell is her cradle. - How does Thumbelina escape from the mole?
The story's answer: The swallow she nursed flies her away to a warm land. There she meets the fairy flower people and is given wings. - Who in the story was kind, and who was not? How do you know?
Listen for: Ask for the moment in the story that shows it. - Which part would you change, and how would the story end then?
Listen for: There is no wrong ending; ask what else would have to change.
Did you know?
- Hans Christian Andersen, a storyteller in Denmark, wrote it in 1835. It was one of the first fairy tales he published.
- Its Danish name is “Tommelise”, which means Little Tiny.
- Thumbelina is only an inch high.
Activity: Draw the story as a map
On one big sheet, draw every place the story happens and the path between them. Mark the spot where things go wrong and the spot where they come right.
More to talk about
More facts for the leader
- The swallow she once nursed back to life carries her away from the mole.
Words to teach before you start
- barleycorn: a grain seed
- stamens: flower's middle parts
- stubble: cut corn stalks
- numb: unable to feel
- feelers: insect antennae
- snug: warm and cosy
Questions leaders ask
How long does a Thumbelina book club meeting take?
Reading it aloud takes about 14 minutes in all, so plan 2 meetings of about 30 to 45 minutes each, with time left for the questions. The reading plan on the sheet says where to stop.
What age is Thumbelina for?
It is written at Peabody level 11, a grade 6 reading level, so most children at that level can read it alone. Younger children can listen to it read aloud.
Do the children need to read it before the meeting?
No. Each child can read it free on Peabody, before the meeting or together at it, and the questions work either way. The sheet's short version gives the ending away, so keep it for the leader.
How do I use the questions?
Start with the story's own questions, which have answers in the leader's notes, then move to the open ones and listen for reasons. There is no wrong answer to an open question. Stop when the group runs out of things to say.
Club kits for stories like this
- The Selfish Giant (level 11)
- Beauty and the Beast (level 10)
- Rapunzel (level 10)
- Sleeping Beauty (level 10)
- The Twelve Dancing Princesses (level 10)
- Cinderella (level 9)
How this kit is made
The short version, the facts and the first questions with their answers are the story's own, written for its page in Peabody's library and checked against the sources named there. The open questions, the activity and the plan are Peabody's, written for this kind of story. No part of it is written by a computer model.
Running the meeting: the meeting plans (30, 45 and 60 minutes) and the sign-up sheet.