Little Heroes, Great Adventures!

From the English folklore character Tom Thumb, printed in 1621, to Gulliver’s Travels' six-inch-tall Lilliputians, written by Johnathan Swift and published in 1726, small characters are a common fairy tale motif. In Japan, the story of 一寸法師 (Issun-bōshi), The Inch-High Samurai, is well known. These little characters are brave, and although they’re little and their swords are needles, their courage is huge. Their micro-worlds become great universes where blades of grass are forests, and butterflies’ wings can fly over vast and mysterious meadows.

Hans Christian Andersen also played with this motif in his famous tale Thumbelina. Published in 1835, Thumbelina is the story of a beautiful maiden born from a seed. She goes through many adventures such as been kidnapped by a horrible toad! But in the end, virtue and goodness are rewarded in a fairy world where she becomes queen…

Revisit this tale and practice your English with my lesson English through Literature: Thumbelina/ English level: beginner and upper beginner.

We will read an adapted version of the story and talk about seasons and flowers among many other topics. This lesson is great for beginners. Explore my unique lessons in which learning English also means exploring beloved tales!