Thumbelina Story Volume 1 | Page 9

Stories

would return with food and blankets. And, for the rest of the winter,
she secretly visited the swallow each day, bringing him food and
nursing him back to health.
When spring and warm weather arrived, the swallow felt
well again, and he began to make plans to fly away. He asked
Thumbelina to come with him, but she said no because she felt that
she could not leave her kind friend, the field mouse.
The spring and summer months passed. Thumbelina enjoyed
being with her friend, the field mouse, but it soon became clear that
Mr. Mole wanted to marry Thumbelina. Thumbelina was horrified.
She did not care for Mr. Mole. In fact, she had always been a little

What Kind of
a Girl is She?
After you have read
how Thumbelina took
care of the bird, ask
your child what kind
of a girl she must be.
Help her find words
to describe her: kind,
thoughtful, loving,
caring, friendly.
A New Word
Take a moment to
talk about the word
“horrified.” It means
surprised and upset.
Thumbelina did not like
the idea of marrying
Mr. Mole! Has your
child ever felt horrified?

frightened of him, but out of respect for her friend, the field mouse,
she had always been polite to him.
But her friend, the field mouse, was in favor of the marriage.
She told Thumbelina that she should be happy, since Mr. Mole was

THUMBELINA
©2008 Core Knowledge Foundation

Thumbelina Preschool Read-Aloud

9

Available only from coreknowledge.org