Tom Thumb

Once upon a time, in the days of good King Arthur, there lived a farmer and his wife. They had no children, and they wished and wished for a baby of their own. “I would be happy with a child no bigger than my husband’s thumb,” said the wife one evening. Not long after, their wish came true, and a tiny baby boy was born. He was exactly as big as his father’s thumb, so they named him Tom Thumb.

Tom never grew any bigger, but he was clever, cheerful, and full of fun. His bed was half a walnut shell, and his blanket was a rose petal. His mother made him a shirt from a spider’s web and a hat from an oak leaf. When his father plowed the field, Tom sat in the horse’s ear and called out, “Go left!” and “Go right!”

One day, his mother was mixing a pudding in a big bowl. Tom climbed up onto the edge of the bowl to peek, but he slipped and fell into the batter with a plop! His mother did not see him, and when she began to stir, the pudding jumped and wiggled across the table. “Goodness me, this pudding is alive!” cried his mother. Then out popped Tom, covered in sticky batter from his head to his toes. His mother laughed, gave him a bath in a teacup, and tucked him into his walnut bed.

Another day, Tom was playing in the meadow when a big black raven swooped down. It picked Tom up in its beak, thinking he was a shiny button, and flew away over the hills. At last it grew tired and set him down on the grass outside the castle of King Arthur. A gardener found him there and carried him in to see the king.

King Arthur and his knights had never seen such a tiny man. Tom bowed politely, sang funny songs, and made the whole court laugh. The king liked him so much that he made Tom Thumb one of his knights. Tom was given a sword as small as a needle and a little gray mouse to ride as his horse.

One fine day, Sir Tom Thumb rode his mouse all the way home with a little bag of silver from the king. His mother and father were so happy to see him that they hugged him and cried tears of joy. Tom told them all about his adventures, and they lived happily ever after.