Once upon a time, there was a woman who wanted a child very much. She went to a witch and asked for help. The witch gave her a magic seed. 'Plant this and water it,' she said. The woman planted the seed in a flower pot. She watered it every day with love and care. Soon, a beautiful flower grew from the pot. The flower had red and yellow petals. It looked like a tulip. The woman kissed the flower, and suddenly it opened. Inside the flower sat a tiny girl, no bigger than a thumb. The woman was so happy. She named the girl Thumbelina. Thumbelina slept in a walnut shell and used a rose petal as a blanket. She had a beautiful voice and loved to sing. One night, while Thumbelina was sleeping, a big ugly toad came through the window. 'What a pretty wife she would be for my son!' thought the toad. The toad took Thumbelina to a lily pad in the middle of a stream. When Thumbelina woke up, she was very scared. She began to cry. The fish in the stream felt sorry for her. They bit through the stem of the lily pad. The lily pad floated away down the stream, carrying Thumbelina to safety. A beautiful butterfly flew beside her. Thumbelina tied her ribbon to it. Now the lily pad moved faster with the butterfly pulling it. But then a big beetle flew down and grabbed Thumbelina. He took her to a tree where other beetles lived. 'She only has two legs!' said the other beetles. 'How ugly!' The beetle did not want her anymore and left her in the forest. Thumbelina lived alone in the forest all summer. She ate berries and drank dew from the leaves. But when winter came, she was cold and hungry. Snow covered the ground, and Thumbelina was freezing. She found a door in the ground. It was the home of a field mouse. 'Please, may I have some food?' Thumbelina asked politely. The kind field mouse let Thumbelina stay in her warm home. 'You can help me clean and tell me stories,' said the mouse. The mouse's neighbor was a rich mole who lived underground. The mole fell in love with Thumbelina's beautiful singing voice. 'You must marry the mole,' said the field mouse. 'He is very rich.' But Thumbelina did not want to marry the mole. He lived in the dark underground. She would never see the sun or flowers again. One day, in the mole's tunnel, Thumbelina found a swallow who was very sick. Thumbelina nursed the swallow back to health during the winter. When spring came, the swallow was ready to fly south. 'Come with me!' said the swallow. 'You saved my life. I will take you to a warm land.' Thumbelina climbed onto the swallow's back, and they flew away. They flew over mountains and seas to a beautiful land full of flowers. The swallow placed Thumbelina on a white flower. Inside the flower was a tiny prince with wings, just as small as Thumbelina. He was the king of all the flower fairies. The prince thought Thumbelina was the most beautiful girl he had ever seen. 'Will you be my queen?' he asked her. Thumbelina said yes. She was finally happy. The fairies gave her beautiful wings so she could fly among the flowers. They also gave her a new name: Maia. And she lived happily ever after with her flower prince.
English Story (A2)Thumbelina
This A2 English story is designed for elementarys learning English. It includes simple vocabulary and short sentences to help you improve your reading and listening skills. Click any word to see translations and hear pronunciation.
About this story
A woman who wants a child plants a magic seed that grows into a flower. Inside the flower is Thumbelina, a tiny girl no bigger than a thumb. She has many adventures: a toad kidnaps her to marry her son, but fish help her escape. A beetle takes her but abandons her when other beetles call her ugly. She survives alone in the forest until winter, when a kind field mouse takes her in. The mouse wants her to marry a rich mole, but Thumbelina finds a sick swallow and nurses it back to health. In spring, the swallow takes her to a warm land where she meets a tiny flower prince. They fall in love, and Thumbelina finally finds happiness as the queen of the flower fairies.
Translations in English
Linked wordUnderlined wordOther words
Comprehension Questions
4 questions
1
Where did Thumbelina sleep at night?
2
Who helped Thumbelina escape from the lily pad?
3
Why did the beetles reject Thumbelina?
4
What new name did Thumbelina receive at the end of the story?
Vocabulary
30 words from this story
