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The Worlds of Gilbert and Sullivan

This story from the Brothers Grimm starts: 

'There was once a poor woodman sitting by the fire in his cottage, and his wife sat by his side spinning. 'How lonely it is,' said he, 'for you and me to sit here by ourselves without any children to play about and amuse us, while other people seem so happy and merry with their children!' 'What you say is very true,' said the wife, sighing turning round her wheel, 'how happy should I be if I had but one child! and if it were ever so small, nay, if it were no bigger than my thumb, I should be very happy, and love it dearly.'

A wish such as this, in such a genre, was bound to bring the expected reaction. Sure enough she soon had a healthy strong little boy, not much bigger than her thumb. And they called him (naturally enough) Tom Thumb.

Although he ate heartily he never grew any bigger. One day he offered to drive the cart into the forest for his father, by sitting in the horse's ear and calling instructions. He was discovered by two ruffians, who bought him from his father (at Tom's suggestion).

He escaped them by crawling into a mouse's hole. He slept in a snail shell, and offered to help some unsavoury characters to rob a parsonage. He fools them by shouting and attracting the maid's attention. He sleeps in a hay loft and is eaten by a cow! Again his shouts encourage the parson, who kills the cow.

Next a wolf devours the cow's stomach (with Tom) inside it. He calls to the wolf to take him home where the wolf can gorge himself in the kitchen. Once more his shouts from inside the wolf attract his parents' attention. They kill the wolf and the story ends:

'So they hugged and kissed their dear little son, and gave him plenty to eat and drink, and fetched new clothes for him, for his old ones were quite spoiled on his journey.'

On now to Rumpel-Stils-Kin . . .?

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