Thumbelina by Hans Christian Andersen adapted and illustrated by Brad Sneed

The modern fantasies of Hans Christian Andersen have been retold and illustrated by many adapters and illustrators. I chose a Hans Christian Andersen title for the text because the highly illustrated versions are among the most popular texts used by teachers, librarians, and parents. In my forthcoming text, Literacy for Life, which publishes in mid-September, Hans Christian Andersen texts are discussed in Chapter 2 "Emergent Literacy, Language Development, and Cognitive Development." They are especially appropriate for the section "Reading Aloud to Children" and "Storytelling" discussed on pages 62-63. This book may be used as a source to prepare students to read books aloud to an appreciative audience or to tell the stories orally. Page 62 emphasizes making a display with the book jackets in order to increase interest in the fantasies and to prepare them for their own retelling. The plots and characters are also excellent sources for developing puppet shows and felt board presentations. There are enough illustrated versions of the Hans Christian Andersen tales that students can compare the various retellings and the interpretations of the tales through the illustrations. I enjoy asking my students to collect as many versions of the tales as possible, compare the versions, and discuss how they responded to each of the versions. University students may extend their own investigations by reading Hans Christian Andersen Fairy Tales translated by Tina Nunnally (Viking 2005). This is a scholarly collection of almost 30 tales. The introduction presents information about Andersen and the concluding section, "Notes," provides interpretations to accompany each of the tales. Teachers and librarians may use these notes to provide background information before they read or tell the stories. -- Donna Norton

IDEAS FOR SCHOOL CLASSROOMS Some ideas that have come to mind about how a teacher could use this book in his/her classroom: (1). I would have the students do a story retell of the events as they happened in the book. Story retell is great for developing language especially with English learners. As the retell is being given by the students I would write on the board or a large chart paper the different ideas each of the students would be sharing with me. (2). We would go over each of the ideas that were presented to the class in the retell and I would have the students review again each of the ideas that were given as part of the retell. (3). I would have the students do a Readers Theatre of some of the most important events of the story. I would want them to bring in the sequence of events and characters Thumbelina met along the way. (4). I would also give the students a large sheet of construction paper where they would put in each square an event that happened to Thumbelina and would note a picture of that event as they remember things that happened in the story. For example, in one of the squares Thumbelina meets the beetle. Students could draw the beetle and explain one thing they remember from the beetle as he met Thumbelina along the way. In the end the students would have several squares where they would have the different characters Thumbelina met along the way and what they learned about each of these characters. This activity would help them understand the different characters and what each contributed to the story. This falls along the idea of a character perspective chart which students really enjoy contributing to in the end. (5). I would have the students write in their journals who their favorite character was and why? Further, I would have them explain how their choice compared to someone in their family or cultural group. (6). For each activity I would make sure the students orally explained their work as this would help them with oral language development.

Children love the idea of Thumbelina and her tiny world. This presents a variety of themes and ideas for ways students can use this book with children in their classroom. My ideas are as follows: 1. Using the illustrations the teacher could have the children compare Thumbelina size to real objects. The teacher could bring in a real rose, a half of walnut shell, a sunflower, a plant, a (clean) clam shell, etc., and encourage children to compare and contrast

Thumbelinas size. 2. In small groups, teams of two, or as a whole class, children could create dioramas out of shoe boxes and other miscellaneous items to exemplify Thumbelinas world. This is a good way for teachers to put all the stuff theyve been saving and hoarding to use. This encourages children to creatively reuse and recycle junk in a creative way. (Im big on teaching children to reuse and recycle materials instead of always throwing things away). 3. Children could write or dictate to the teacher what they think it would be like to be very tiny like Thumbelina. 4. Children could write or dictate alternate endings to the story.

5. Children could draw themselves as the tiny person in their favorite illustration or illustrations. 6. Using the inside cover illustration as children to predict what the story is about.

7. Before showing the cover illustration of the book ask children to discuss the title and what it might mean. 8. Discuss how the mother in the story felt when she was presented with Thumbelina as her child, or how Thumbelina feels when the beetle takes her, or how the swallow and/or Thumbelina feel when they leave each other. 9. Teachers could do the classic big and little or sink and float activities that children love to participate in. 10. Children could dictate a list of song suggestions that Thumbelina could sing to her friend the mouse or make up their own songs. 11. Children and teachers could do an in depth study of any of the insects or animals in the story. Books, photographs, factual information and other materials could be displayed in the Science Center. 12. Teachers could recreate one of the illustrations on a display board, bulletin board or wall and cut out children from their photograph and put them in the illustration.

1) (VISUAL) Make a circular story frame since the story STARTS in a flower and ENDS in a flower with the sequence of locations/events all around the 'clock.' 2) (DRAWING) Create a step booklet of the 5-7 different habitats illustrated in the book.

3) (DRAWING) Bring in objects that are the same (shoes, hats, forks, stuffed animal bears, etc.) but are DIFFERENT in PROPORTION and have students draw the different sizes. 4) (WRITING) Teach a mini-lesson on the literary term "personification" and note that the animals are given human characteristics. Ask students to extend the middle of the story by writing one more habitat and animal that would be interesting for Thumbelina to visit and how would it act & what would it say?

Suggestions: Elementary level: Read Aloud and discuss the book. Bring into the discussion the following: What makes a story a fairy tale? List those components. Read the story again (either as a read aloud, individually, paired reading), and using a graphic organizer based on the components discussed, fill the organizer in. After reading through several fairy tales, then a blank organizer can be used to write their own fairy tale.

This delightfully colorful new version of Thumbelina adapted and illustrated by Brad Sneed will undoubtedly draw students into the story. From the beginning in which there is the familiar theme of a woman who desperately wanted a child and who, in this case, turns to a witch for help, to the small girls journey, to the twist at the end of the story in which the swallow tells the story to Hans Christian Anderson, there is a sense of a magic. Teachers might help students recall other stories they have read that began with the same theme such as the classic, Millions of Cats by Wanda Gag and compare how the characters solved the problem of being childless. Thumbelinas mother has her child from a magic seed that grows a beautiful flower. Sadly, the child is quickly taken away by the toad. This part of the story is just the beginning, letting the reader know that there will be an adventure. I would suggest that the teachers might use an adaptation of a Recipe for a Story by J.W. Irwin in Teaching Reading Comprehension Processes, p. 70 (2007). This story map focuses on the development of the character. There is a sample master of how I have adapted it to more closely follow the way the author wrote the story. Thumbelina is a typically good female character in the folktale tradition however she changes from being helpless to being more of a decision-maker.

Directions: Fill in the blanks with the ingredients of a ________________ story. Story title: Character: Episode 1 Beginning event: Setting: How the character felt: Author:

What she did:

How it worked out:

Episode 2 Beginning event:

Setting: How the character felt:

What she did:

How it worked out:

Episode 3: Beginning event:

Setting: How the character felt:

What she did:

How it worked out:

Episode 4: Beginning event:

Setting: How the character felt: Setting: How the character felt: Setting: How the character felt

What she did:

How it worked out:

Episode 5: Beginning event.

What she did:

How it worked out:

Episode 6: Beginning event.

What she did:

How it worked out:

How were things at the end?

Is there a moral to the story?

Below is a filled in example: Story title: Character: Thumbelina Episode 1 Beginning event: Author:

Setting: Asleep in a walnut shell on the table How the character What she did: She How it worked out:

Mother toad takes her to the lily pad

felt: She was startled.

cried for help.

Fish helped her by setting the lily pad free

Episode 2 Beginning event: Butterfly is pulling her down stream when a beetle grabs her and flies to a tree

Setting: In the stream How the character What she did: She felt: She was cried. unhappy.

How it worked out: Other beetles said she was ugly so the beetle dropped Thumbelina on a daisy.

Episode 3: Beginning event: She is alone in the forest.

Setting: In the forest in summer, but then it gets to be winter. How the character What she did: Wove How it worked out: felt: Happy to be a bed of grass, when She lived with the free. it was cold, she field mouse found a field mouses house Episode 4: Setting: In the passage underground Beginning event: How the character What she did: She How it worked out: Field mouse felt: She did not like took care of the She helped him fly introduces her to him because he swallow and he got free. mole pushed the swallow stronger. aside Episode 5: Setting: At field mouses house and in underground passage Beginning event: How the character What she did: She How it worked out: Mole wanted to The swallow took felt: Thumbelina protested and left marry her her home. She was unhappy. with the swallow. found other little people, including a king. Episode 6: Setting: Warm countries by a lake Beginning event: How the character What she did: She How it worked out: The king asked felt: She was very thought about how The swallow sang Thumbelina to be happy. different he was about Thumbelina his queen. from the others and and her adventures said she would and even sings to marry him. the writer of fairy tales about her story. How were things at the end? Is there a moral to the story? Happy ending By helping herself and others, she was able to find happiness.

IDEAS FOR COLLEGE CLASSROOMS I enjoyed Thumbelina more for the appreciation of the illustrations than for the text itself. The detail and the vibrant colors were very attractive and could easily captivate the reader (or listeners). For my activity, I would have students read Brad Sneed's comment on the book jacket stating, "I hope my paintings will draw children into Thumbelina's world. I want them to nestle between flower petal sheets, squirm at the prickly pinch of giant beetle legs, and blink into the puff of air created by a butterfly's pumping wings" (Sneed, 2004). After this I would lead them into a discussion about author's purpose, both for writing and illustrating (e.g., what does author's purpose mean; is it always clearly stated; give examples of when it is not; how can this affect a work and/or influence the reader; how this relates to writing with a voice). I will have them state their intended purpose for their own children's book (an assignment in one of my courses) on their book jacket. I would also communicate to my students that teaching children to write for a purpose is a requirement in New York State. Teachers begin to teach students in grade 2 how to make their "voice" heard in their writing.

I teach a course, Introduction to Literacy, to undergraduate students. Most are in their sophomore year of college. The following are examples of ways to use Thumbelina with this class: I would gather several versions of the book and have half the students compare the illustrations and half compare the text. After discussing in small groups, I would have them respond to questions evaluating the different versions (based on illustrations and text). The groups would then present to the class as a whole. I would use this book as an example in our discussion of fairytales and storytelling. What makes this a fairy tale, etc.? As part of a read aloud assignment, one student would read this book. The person would have to do a pre-reading and post-reading activity and put together a book box5-6 items found in their home that represent the book, explaining why each item was chosen.