Tom Thumb

“Tom Thumb.” Tales of Past Times Written for Children, Charles Perrault, illustrated by John Austen, New York: E.P Dutton and Co., 1923, pp. 53-63.

Tale Summary Once upon a time, there was a poor man and his wife, wood makers by trade, who had seven young boys (the oldest being ten, and the younger being seven years of age). This youngest boy was very small, only being the size of a thumb when he...

Esben and the Witch

"Esben and the Witch." The Pink Fairy Book, edited by Andrew Lang, New York: Longmans, Green, and Co., 1897, pp. 258-273.

Tale Summary There is a family with 12 brothers, 11 who are strong and able and the youngest, a small but smart. One day the 11 oldest wish to make their fortune in the world, and so they ask for a white horse and gold from their aging father and...

hop

“Hop O’ my Thumb.” George Cruikshank’s Fairy Library, George Cruikshank, London: Routledge and Sons, [1870s], pp. 1-30.

Tale Summary George Cruikshank participated in the Temperance movement, and like other tales in this volume (Cinderella), this version of Hop O’ My Thumb denounces the evils of “strong drink” (alcohol). He also omits the violent scene in which the Ogre kills his own children after being tricked by Hop...

Hop

Perrault, Charles. “Hop-o’-my-Thumb.” Old French Fairy Tales, Boston: Little, Brown, and Company, 1899, pp. 342-358.

Tale Summary Seven siblings are born no more than three years apart into a poor family in which the youngest boy, named Hop-O’-My-Thumb, is deemed a weakly little fellow, but in fact, is actually the smartest in the group. His woodcutting parents are too poor to keep all of the...