Hans Christian Andersen's Thumbelina (Retold and Illustrated By Lauren Mills)

This fairy tale of the little girl so named because of her tiny size is one of the most popular and enduring stories of all time. Children can identify with the plucky heroine who uses cleverness instead of size and strength to make her own way into the wide, wide world. Delicate watercolors create a miniature land where a walnut shell covered with violet petals serves as a bed, a leaf becomes a suitable umbrella, and field mice and birds are Thumbelina's unlikely companions. Enchanting details, drawn from nature, make this imaginative story come to life.