Thumbelina was first published in Danish in 1835 as "Tommelise" in the second instalment of "Fairy Tales Told for Children" by Hans Christian Andersen. A woman, desperate for a daughter, goes to a fairy for help. The fairy gives her a barleycorn to plant, which grows into a tulip from which a tiny girl, scarcely half as long as a thumb, is born. Thumbelina soon attracts the attention of a Toad who wants the beautiful little girl as a bride for her son. This collection also includes "In the Uttermost Parts of the Sea", "The Tinderbox" and "The Swan's Nest".