Tom Thumb
Merlin grants a farmer’s wife her wish for a son no bigger than a thumb, and tiny Tom tumbles into a pudding, a cow’s mouth and a fish. He ends up at King Arthur’s court, where he is made a knight with a needle for a sword and a mouse to ride.
Scene 1: A Kind Wish
Tom Thumb. Long ago, in King Arthur’s days, the magician Merlin stopped at a farmer’s cottage to rest. The farmer’s kind wife gave him milk and brown bread. But they were sad, because they had no children. The wife said: “If only I had a son, even one no bigger than my husband’s thumb!”
Scene 2: No Bigger Than a Thumb
Merlin smiled, and granted her wish. Soon she had a baby boy, no bigger than his father’s thumb. One night, the Fairy Queen flew in at the window, kissed the baby, and named him Tom Thumb. She gave him an oak-leaf hat for his crown.
Scene 3: The Batter Pudding
One day, Tom’s mother was making a batter pudding. Tom climbed up to the edge of the bowl to see. His foot slipped, and plop! He fell head over ears into the batter. Without seeing him, she stirred him into the pudding, and put it in the pot. Tom kicked so much that she thought it was bewitched, and threw it out of the door.
Scene 4: The Tinker
A tinker passing by picked up the pudding, and put it in his bag. Then Tom began to shout! The frightened tinker flung down the pudding, and ran away. The pudding broke, and Tom crept out, covered in batter, and walked home. His mother washed him in a teacup, and kissed him.
Scene 5: The Red Cow
Another day, Tom went with his mother to milk the red cow. The wind was high, so she tied him to a thistle with a fine thread. The cow liked Tom’s oak-leaf hat, and took Tom and the thistle in one mouthful! Tom roared: “Mother, mother!” His mother called: “Where are you, Tommy, my dear Tommy?” Tom answered: “Here, mother, in the red cow’s mouth!” The surprised cow opened her mouth, and Tom dropped out, into his mother’s apron.
Scene 6: Over the Sea
Out in the field one day, Tom slipped into a furrow. A raven picked him up, carried him far over the sea, and dropped him. Splash! A big fish swallowed Tom in one gulp.
Scene 7: The King’s Kitchen
The fish was caught, and sent to King Arthur’s kitchen. When the cook opened the fish, out popped Tom, as lively as could be! Everyone was amazed. They carried Tom to the king, and his tricks made the whole court laugh.
Scene 8: Sir Thomas Thumb
King Arthur made Tom a knight, and gave him a fine new suit of clothes. A needle was his sword, and he rode a dapper little mouse. And Sir Thomas Thumb, the smallest knight of all, filled the court with laughter. Big hearts come in small sizes.
Moral: Big hearts come in small sizes.
Questions about Tom Thumb
Who granted the wish for a tiny son?
Merlin the magician.
What did the Fairy Queen give Tom for his crown?
An oak-leaf hat.
What did Tom fall into?
The batter pudding.
Where did Tom say he was when he called to his mother?
In the red cow’s mouth.
What was Tom’s sword?
A needle.
More stories to read aloud
- Cinderella — Kind Cinderella works among the cinders for her proud stepmother and stepsisters, until her fairy godmother turns a pumpkin into a golden coach and sends her to the King’s son’s ball in glass slippers.
- Diamonds and Toads — A kind girl gives water to a poor old woman at the fountain, and the woman, who is really a fairy, makes roses, pearls and diamonds fall from her lips at every word.
- Goldilocks and the Three Bears — While the Three Bears take a walk until their porridge cools, a little girl called Goldilocks walks into their house and tries their porridge, chairs and beds.