THUMBELINA

by Hans Christian Andersen ‧ RELEASE DATE: Nov. 7, 1980

The story has been simplified and thereby shortened; and while it has lost a measure of poignance and drama in the alteration, the retelling is faithful in tone and substance to the original--at least until the very last. And the illustrations--sometimes filling two wordless pages--do compensate for the suppression of detail in the text. If Jeffers would only suppress her penchant for having large animals loom ambiguously--and extraneously--over the diminutive scenes, the commonality of Thumbelina with the truly small creatures like the field mouse and mole would be more effectively realized. But these are also small beefs, for there are some magnificent images--Thumbelina peering out longingly at the departing swallow, while in the burrow spiders spin lace (overspreading the page) for her wedding to the mole; then, Thumbelina borne away by the sparrow, dropping her wedding bouquet and slippers, while the mole bridegroom and the field-mouse matchmaker complacently wait below-ground. But when Thumbelina finally meets up with the fairy king, he's oddly not so-called-and the fairies generally have the visages of neighborhood teens. Jeffers has avoided the pretty-pretty and the saccharine, but she hasn't quite found an appropriate and consistent mode of attack. It's a more creative, less conventional rendering than Adrienne Adams', however, if somewhat less than completely successful on its own terms.

Pub Date: Nov. 7, 1980

ISBN: 1422395421

Page Count: -

Publisher: Dial

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Nov. 1, 1980

Categories: CHILDREN'S