Tom Thumb — Margaret Read Macdonald

The famous tale from the Brothers Grimm included in this book is only one of the stories from around the world about a very diminutive but resourceful character trying to earn his or her place in the world. This international collection of stories revolves around a surprisingly frequent theme: an extremely tiny child who starts out in life either unwanted or humorously accident prone. A quest begins, often initiated by one of these accidents or by a spectacular event that could only befall someone two inches tall. The character must use wit, heroics, and even trickery, to survive a series of adventures that are sometimes exciting--sometimes harrowing.