Thumbelina was first published in Danish in 1835 as 'Tommelise' in the second instalment of 'Fairy Tales Told for Children' by Hans Christian Andersen. A woman, desperate for a daughter, goes to a fairy for help. The fairy gives her a barleycorn to plant, which grows into a tulip from which a tiny girl, scarcely half as long as a thumb, is born. Thumbelina soon attracts the attention of a Toad who wants the beautiful little girl as a bride for her son. This collection also includes 'In the Uttermost Parts of the Sea', 'The Tinderbox' and 'The Swan's Nest'.