Kila: Tom Thumb

Kila: Tom Thumb - a story book from Kila

Kila offers fun story books to stimulate the love of reading. Kila’s story books help kids to enjoy reading and learning with a plentiful amount of fables and fairy tales.

A poor countryman and his wife had a child who was perfect in all his limbs but no bigger than a thumb, named Tom Thumb. They gave him plenty of nourishment but he grew no bigger.

One day his father made ready to go into the forest to cut wood. ``Father,`` cried Tom Thumb, ``I can bring the cart. Let me alone do that!” The father laughed out loud but agreed with him to do so.

When the time was right, the mother set him in the horse`s ear. He yelled, ``Gee-up, gee-ho!`` And the wagon went along the right road to the wood.

Now, it happened that two strange men passed by. They saw a running wagon without driver and decided to follow it.

The wagon finally went up to the place of the father. He lifted down his little son and put him on a stump.

When the two strangers saw him, they thought the little boy would make their fortune if they showed him in the town for money.

They went up to the woodcutter and asked him to sell his son. Tom Thumb whispered in his father’s ear, ``Father! Let me go. I will soon come back again.``

Then the father gave him up to the two men for a large sum of money. One of them put Tom Thumb on his hat and they left his father.

When it turned to dusk, Tom Thumb asked for a change. So the man took him down, and set him in a field by the roadside.

He ran away immediately, and slipped suddenly into a mouse hole.

The two men chased him with a stick but in vain. Tom Thumb crept farther and farther in and, as it was growing dark, they had to make their way home.

Tom Thumb came upon an empty snail shell and he settled himself down in it.

Suddenly, he heard three men pass by. One was saying to the others, ``How can we get gold and silver off the rich parson?`` Tom Thumb cried, ``I can help.``

They found him, and lifted him up. He said, ``I can easily creep between the iron bars of the parson`s room and hand out to you whatever you would like to have.``

When they came to the house, Tom Thumb crept into the room but cried out with all his might, ``Will you have all that is here?``

A cook who was sleeping in a room nearby heard it, raised herself in bed and listened. The thieves, however, in their fear of being discovered had run back part of the way.

So Tom Thumb crept among the hay and found a comfortable nook to sleep in.

At dawn, a maid got up and took up an armful of hay, which Tom Thumb lay asleep in, to feed the cows. When he awoke, he was in the stomach of a cow.

Tom Thumb punched and punched into the cow’s stomach until the cow threw him up.

Unfortunately, a hungry wolf ran up and swallowed him. But Tom Thumb did not lose courage. He guided the wolf to his house and promised that its hunger would be satisfied.

The wolf needed not to be told twice. However, when its hunger was fulfilled, the wolf had become so big that to creep the same way back was impossible.

Tom Thumb began to make a terrible din inside the wolf, crying and calling as loud as he could. At last the father and mother were awakened, and ran to his place.

When Tom Thumb heard his father`s voice, he cried, ``Dear father, I am here inside the wolf.``

The father called out full of joy and he beat the wolf’s stomach until it threw up Tom Thumb.

``And, where have you been all this time?`` asked his father. ``Oh, I had a great adventure. Now, I think, I will stay at home.`` And the parents kissed and hugged their dear little Tom Thumb.

We hope you enjoy this book. If there are any problems please contact us at support@kilafun.com
Thanks!