A farmer's wife who has always wanted a child asks a wise old woman where she can find one. The woman gives her a magic grain of corn which grows into a beautiful flower in which sits the tiniest little girl - 'exactly the same size as your thumb' - hence her name, Thumbelina. She lives happily with the farmer's wife until an ugly toad leaps through a broken window and hops off with her. So begins Thumbelina's fantastic and often frightening adventures. The magic of the original story is retained in this sensitive retelling in which Thumbelina's miniature world is brought to life with stunning detailed illustrations of giant insects, plants and the underground tunnels of the blind old mole's home. The story culminates in the glorious Land of the Flowers where the heroine is joyfully married to the Flower Prince.

Author Biography

Jane Falloon is a graduate of Cambridge University and an English teacher. She was also a professional singer for some years. She is now a writer, living in Co. Kildare, Ireland. Emma Chichester Clark studied at the Chelsea School of Art and the Royal College of Art where she was taught by Quentin Blake. She has worked as a freelance illustrator for various magazines including New Scientist, Cosmopolitan and The Sunday Times. Emma won the Mother Goose Award in 1988 as the most exciting newcomer to children's book illustration. Since then she has become internationally renowned for her illustrations of books by such well-known authors as Margaret Mahy, Roald Dahl and Anne Fine. I Love You, Blue Kangeroo! was shortlisted for the Kate Greenaway Medal.