Klein Duimpje (Tom Thumb)
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StoryOriginally a Grimm tale.
Once upon a time, there was a woodcutter who lived in the woods with his wife and seven sons. The youngest of his seven sons was very, very small. They called him Tom Thumb because he was no bigger than one. Tom Thumb’s family was very poor and one day, the woodcutter and his wife got so very desperate, that they decided to abandon the children in the woods. However, Tom Thumb was a clever little boy and had scattered pebbles along the way, to help them find their way home.
A couple of weeks later the woodcutter and his wife tried again. This time they made sure Tom Thumb had left the pebbles behind. So instead of the pebbles, Tom Thumb used bread to scatter crumbs on their way into the woods. But when it came to leading his brother out of the forest, the birds had eaten his breadcrumbs. Tom Thumb climbed up a tree in a hurry. ”I can see a house over there! Surely someone must live there,” Tom Thumb cried. But they did not know that this was a house of a Giant, not a human. When the got there, the giant’s wife let them stay overnight because she could see how tired they all were. “Mind you, don’t wake up the giant,” she warned. “You’ll all have to be very quiet.” So the next day, the seven brothers left the giant’s house as quickly and quietly as they could. However... the giant was not far behind them. The boys ran and ran, but the giant was faster than they were. He had his Seven League Boots on: boots that made him run faster than anyone could imagine. “Quick!” whispered Tom Thumb, “I know of a cave we can hide in. The giant won’t be able to find us in there.” When the giant ran out of steam after chasing the boys at such speed, he fell asleep, just outside their hiding place. He was fast asleep when Tom Thumb thought of a plan... “What if I put on his Seven League Boots? What do you think would happen?” |
To read the full story go to the Efteling souvenir shop and purchase the More Fairy Tales from Efteling book.
Get Tom Thumb souvenirs from the Efteling souvenir shop
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