“Tom Thumb.” Tales of Past Times Written for Children, Charles Perrault, illustrated by John Austen, New York: E.P Dutton and Co., 1923, pp. 53-63.

Anonymous — Fri, 18 Nov 2022 00:23:37 +0000

“Tom Thumb.” Tales of Past Times Written for Children, Charles Perrault, illustrated by John Austen, New York: E.P Dutton and Co., 1923, pp. 53-63. Anonymous (not verified) Thu, 11/17/2022 - 17:23

Charles Perrault

Tale Summary

Once upon a time, there was a poor man and his wife, wood makers by trade, who had seven young boys (the oldest being ten, and the younger being seven years of age). This youngest boy was very small, only being the size of a thumb when he was born (giving him the name Tom Thumb) but was very intelligent. One day during a famine, the man urges his wife that they must get rid of their children in order to survive. Although she protests, she agrees. Tom Thumb overhears this conversation, and the next morning gets up early and collects small white pebbles to fill his pockets. The man and his wife bring the children deep into the forest and abandon them. His siblings cry and fret, but Tom Thumb knows the way back because he has laid a trail of pebbles. The man and his wife, as soon as they get home, receive ten crowns from the lord of the manor which they were owed and were able to buy a large amount of meat to feast on. The woman begs her husband to repent for what they have done and laments for her lost children when they arrive at the door. Sometime later, the money runs out, and once again the man convinces his wife to abandon their children. Tom Thumb overhears this conversation, and the next morning goes out to again search for pebbles but finds that the door is locked. He thinks to use his breakfast instead to leave a trail of breadcrumbs. This does not work, however, as when the children try to find their way back, Tom Thumb realizes that the breadcrumbs have been all eaten by birds. So the children become lost and trek through the forest until they come to a house. A woman greets them, and the children tell her their plight. She weeps, because they are so pitiful and because her husband is an ogre who eats children. Because the children beg, the woman lets them in, thinking she can hide them for one night under the bed. When the ogre comes home he smells fresh meat, and although his wife tries to conceal them, the ogre finds them and decides to eat them the next day while entertaining his friends. Happy with this, he becomes drunk and goes to bed. The ogre has seven daughters, asleep in a bed, each with a golden crown upon her head. The woman puts the seven boys, each with a bonnet on their head, in a bed in the same room. Tom Thumb, fearing that the ogre would kill them as they slept, switched the crowns and bonnets. Sure enough, the drunk ogre comes in, feels for the bonnets, and kills all seven of his daughters. When he leaves again, the children make a run for it. The next day, the wife finds her seven daughters slaughtered, and the ogre swears to get the children, putting on his ‘boots of seven-leagues (which cover seven leagues with each stride), and running off. Tom Thumb hides his siblings under a rock, which the ogre sits on to take a rest and fall asleep on. The children run back to their parent’s house, while Tom Thumb stays and takes the boots, which, because they are fairies, fit themselves to his feet, and runs back to the ogre’s wife. He tells her that her husband has been captured by robbers and that they demand all of his riches in order to release him, so she gives him all that they have. Tom Thumb brings this money back to his parent’s house.

Fairy Tale Title

Thumbling

Fairy Tale Author(s)/Editor(s)

Charles Perrault

Fairy Tale Illustrator(s)

John Austen

Common Tale Type

The Children and the Ogre/Brothers and the Ogre/Boy Steals the Ogre's Treasure

Tale Classification

ATU 327/ATU 327B/ATU 328

Page Range of Tale

pp. 9-12

Full Citation of Tale

“Tom Thumb.” Tales of Past Times Written for Children, Charles Perrault, illustrated by John Austen, New York: E.P Dutton and Co., 1923, pp. 53-63.

Original Source of the Tale

Charles Perrault

Tale Notes

The story gives an alternate ending, which the author seems skeptical of, that Tom Thumb never robbed the ogre, and instead used the seven-league boots to bring news of a far-away army to the King, who in return gave him a large sum of money. He then becomes a famous messenger, amassing wealth, and buys places for his father and brothers at court.

Research and Curation

Kaeli Waggener, 2022

Book Title

Tales of Past Times Written for Children

Book Author/Editor(s)

Charles Perrault

Illustrator(s)

John Austen

Publisher

E.P Dutton and Co.

Date Published

1923

Decade Published

1920-1929

Publisher City

New York

Publisher Country

United States

Language

English

Rights

Public Domain

Digital Copy

Available at the SM�� Digital Library

Book Notes

Traditional

White