Tom Thumb (signed)

After many adventures, a tiny boy, no bigger than his father's thumb, earns a place as the smallest Knight of the Round Table.

Kindergarten-Grade 4-- Although it is not stated, this is a loose adaptation of an English variant of the tale. All of the beginning plot elements--Merlin's granting the farmer's wife's wish for a "babe" even if it's no bigger than her husband's thumb, Tom Thumb being baked into a cake, carried off by a raven, swallowed by a giant, spit into the sea, and swallowed by a fish, which is cut open by the king's cook, who brings Tom to King Arthur--are also related in L. Leonard Brooke's version of "Tom Thumb" found in The Golden Goose Book (Warne, 1977; o.p.). However, Watson's heroic ending, in which Tom Thumb replaces the giant's beloved broken shell, is not mentioned in other variants available. The writing borders on the flowery, but is quite readable. The realistic, microscopically detailed tempera and watercolor illustrations are particularily suitable for this tale. The tiny Tom Thumb would see every hair on a cow's head, and the mobile made of an acorn, a jay's feather, twigs, and leaves hanging over a tiny wooden cradle is an enchanting reminder of just how small Tom really is. The illustrations' perspectives are generally successful and interesting. The subject and these illustrations will ensure this book's popularity with young readers and their parents. Felix Hoffman's Tom Thumb (Atheneum, 1973; o.p.) is based on the Brothers Grimm version. --Karen K. Radtke, Milwaukee Public Library
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.

The story of Tom Thumb is well-known: a poor, childless farmer and his wife feed a raggedy beggar (who is really Merlin), and he rewards them with a son the size of the husband's thumb. The farmer and his wife name their son Tom Thumb, and try to protect him from the perils of the world. Tom Thumb, however, gets into many dangerous situations--he is baked in a cake, eaten by a cow, stolen by a crow, swallowed by a giant and eventually imprisoned in a mouse trap. But with the help of the castle mice, Tom escapes and saves the kingdom from destruction. As a reward, King Arthur gives Tom all the gold he wants, to take back to his parents, and makes Tom the smallest Knight of the Round Table. Watson, who last illustrated James Dickey's Bronwen, the Traw, and the Shape Shifter , has woven--with occasional stiffness--several of Tom's familiar adventures into a single telling. That minor failing is compensated for by Watson's full-color, realistic artwork; in startling perspectives and several striking close-ups, he transports the reader fully into Tom's thumb-sized world. Ages 4-8.
Copyright 1989 Reed Business Information, Inc.