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Hello Kitty Presents the Storybook Collection
Hello Kitty Presents the Storybook Collection: Thumbelina
Hello Kitty is having the wildest dream! In it, she’s tiny—no bigger than your thumb—gets kidnapped by a frog, spends the winter with a mole, and is rescued by a bird. Fortunately, she wakes up just in time to get to the ball and dance with the handsome prince.
- GenresChildrensPicture Books
32 pages, Hardcover
First published April 19, 2016
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24 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
November 9, 2016
Okay, this is horrible. For one thing, the story starts out with Hello Kitty wanting to go to a dance with a handsome prince. Mama makes her a special dress.
The story of Thumbelina is a dream Hello Kitty has.
This book is horrible for three reasons.
1.) The dead-eyed, lifeless, computer-generated illustrations of Hello Kitty and her animal friends.
2.) The absolutely ridiculous, mish-mash interpretation of the Thumbelina story that makes NO sense. Toad kidnaps Thumbelina as a wife for his son. Very next page: fish free Thumbelina. She somehow ends up living with a mouse and a mole. A wounded bird lands in their burrow. Thumbelina nurses it back to health. She leaves with her bird friend. The bird takes her back to her village.
The bird landed in a nest that just happened to be right above where the prince was standing!
Hello Kitty woke with a start. It was the day of the dance!
Okay, what the fuck?!!? If you are going to neuter the story and cut out all the forced marriage (Thumbelina runs away from the mouse and mole because mouse is insistent she marry mole, even though she is crying and saying she doesn't want to) then WHY would you leave in the weird icky part about the toad kidnapping her as a bride for his son?
Why would you end the story with a complete non-ending? The bird puts her in a nest above a (huge, 'normal-sized') prince? Who cares? What does that have to do with anything?
Then we cut to Hello Kitty waking up from her dream. This leaves children frustrated and confused. Thumbelina doesn't even get an ending, much less a happy one.
And the book ends with Hello Kitty dancing with the prince at the dance. For no reason. This whole non-Thumbelina plotline - if you can even call it a 'plotline' - has no rhyme, no reason and makes absolutely no sense. It's just pulled out of nowhere.
3.) The book's inclusion of this non-Thumbelina storyline that makes no sense and has no reason for existing.
Tl;dr - I don't even know why this exists. Yes, Hello Kitty is considered 'cute' by a lot of people, but SURELY they could have come up with a more engaging and logical storyline than this garbage.
Ages 2-6.
The story of Thumbelina is a dream Hello Kitty has.
This book is horrible for three reasons.
1.) The dead-eyed, lifeless, computer-generated illustrations of Hello Kitty and her animal friends.
2.) The absolutely ridiculous, mish-mash interpretation of the Thumbelina story that makes NO sense. Toad kidnaps Thumbelina as a wife for his son. Very next page: fish free Thumbelina. She somehow ends up living with a mouse and a mole. A wounded bird lands in their burrow. Thumbelina nurses it back to health. She leaves with her bird friend. The bird takes her back to her village.
The bird landed in a nest that just happened to be right above where the prince was standing!
Hello Kitty woke with a start. It was the day of the dance!
Okay, what the fuck?!!? If you are going to neuter the story and cut out all the forced marriage (Thumbelina runs away from the mouse and mole because mouse is insistent she marry mole, even though she is crying and saying she doesn't want to) then WHY would you leave in the weird icky part about the toad kidnapping her as a bride for his son?
Why would you end the story with a complete non-ending? The bird puts her in a nest above a (huge, 'normal-sized') prince? Who cares? What does that have to do with anything?
Then we cut to Hello Kitty waking up from her dream. This leaves children frustrated and confused. Thumbelina doesn't even get an ending, much less a happy one.
And the book ends with Hello Kitty dancing with the prince at the dance. For no reason. This whole non-Thumbelina plotline - if you can even call it a 'plotline' - has no rhyme, no reason and makes absolutely no sense. It's just pulled out of nowhere.
3.) The book's inclusion of this non-Thumbelina storyline that makes no sense and has no reason for existing.
Tl;dr - I don't even know why this exists. Yes, Hello Kitty is considered 'cute' by a lot of people, but SURELY they could have come up with a more engaging and logical storyline than this garbage.
Ages 2-6.
November 11, 2017
Sanrio, Kabushiki Kaisha. Hello Kitty Presents the Storybook Collection: Thumbelina, PICTURE BOOK. Abrams Appleseed, 2017. $6.95.
Hello Kitty is so excited about the special dance the Prince is hosting. She falls asleep looking forward to wearing her new fancy dress that her Mama made her. She dreams she is a small fairy named Thumbelina who goes on all sorts of adventures. She eventually makes it home to her village and sees the Prince. This wakes Hello Kitty from her dream and she is reminded about her wonderful dance coming up with the Prince.
This version has many similar components to the original Thumbelina story. It’s still full of fluff though. Hello Kitty fans will enjoy it.
EL (K-3)- OPTIONAL. Reviewed by Shay, School Librarian
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017...
Hello Kitty is so excited about the special dance the Prince is hosting. She falls asleep looking forward to wearing her new fancy dress that her Mama made her. She dreams she is a small fairy named Thumbelina who goes on all sorts of adventures. She eventually makes it home to her village and sees the Prince. This wakes Hello Kitty from her dream and she is reminded about her wonderful dance coming up with the Prince.
This version has many similar components to the original Thumbelina story. It’s still full of fluff though. Hello Kitty fans will enjoy it.
EL (K-3)- OPTIONAL. Reviewed by Shay, School Librarian
https://kissthebook.blogspot.com/2017...
December 31, 2018
It's been a very long time since I read/watched any version of Thumbelina, so I can't comment on how this version compares to others.
I thought it was a little confusing since Hello Kitty dreams the Thumbelina story, but sees the Prince in both of them. I don't remember whether that's an aspect of the original or how it traditionally plays out.
Super-cute as always!
I read this as part of the Hello Kitty Presents the Fairytale Collection omnibus.
I thought it was a little confusing since Hello Kitty dreams the Thumbelina story, but sees the Prince in both of them. I don't remember whether that's an aspect of the original or how it traditionally plays out.
Super-cute as always!
I read this as part of the Hello Kitty Presents the Fairytale Collection omnibus.
August 21, 2017
Not being familiar with Thumbelina I got a little confused on where the dream part ended and the story of hello kitty picked up but bright colorful pictures and the text isn't too long. Right toddler group and up
June 16, 2021
The dress was cute, but what was the story trying to do. There was too much going on that didn’t make sense. Was this really a Thumbelina retelling? Huh?! This is my least favorite in this collection. 2.5/5.
July 22, 2021
Super cute book. Perfect for bedtime. My daughter loved me reading this to her.
October 19, 2016
I didn't like the kidnap of thumbelina! And so that the frog could marry her off to his son?!?! Isn't this 2016?!?!? There's got to be more storylines out there...
May 12, 2016
Not a strict retelling but adorable none the less. :)
December 12, 2016
This story is barely recognizable as thumbelina. It still a cute book, but there is no real story.
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews