Moments in Maturation: ‘Thumbelina'
Growing up can be extremely scary, yet, in his fairy tale '
An old woman wishes to have a little child of her own, so she asks a witch how to get one. In response, the witch gives her a seed and tells her to plant it.
A beautiful flower grows from the seed and, when the flower finally opens, it reveals a little girl inside. The delighted old woman decides to call her Thumbelina, since she is no bigger than a thumb.
The Toad
Thumbelina lives happily with the old woman, until one night she is kidnapped by a toad. The toad has decided that she will be an excellent wife for its son, so it subsequently whisks her away to a muddy marsh.
Thumbelina wakes to find herself floating on a water lily in the middle of the stream. She learns of her marriage to the toad's ugly, slimy son. Frightened, Thumbelina begins crying at her terrible, unescapable fate.
A distraught Thumbelina is depicted in the 1872 original telling of "Thumbelina" by Hans Christian Andersen.
Public Domain
Yet, upon hearing her crying, the fish below pity her and cut the water lily free. So, down the stream Thumbelina drifts, happy and free from the toads.
The May Bug
As Thumbelina drifts down the river, a May bug spots her, swoops down, grabs her, and takes her to the top of a tree. The May bug feeds her honey and tells 'her how pretty she is, considering that she doesn't look the least like a May bug.'
However, other May bugs come to see Thumbelina and begin criticizing her. They say how ugly she is. Their negative comments finally sway the May bug so that it agrees with them. It carries Thumbelina to the bottom of the tree, and abandons her there.
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Left alone and scared, Thumbelina fends for herself throughout summer and fall. But, when winter arrives, Thumbelina has neither shelter, nor warm clothing.
She wanders into a large grain field, where she finds a field mouse's home. Pitying Thumbelina, the kind-hearted mouse welcomes her in and offers her a warm place to live.
Thumbelina becomes acquainted with the mouse and the mole, in this 1900 illustration from the Andersen Tegner retelling of "Thumbelina."
Public Domain
The Mole
Soon after Thumbelina's arrival, the field mouse's neighbor, the Mole, visits. Thumbelina isn't impressed with him, because he cannot see, doesn't like sunlight or bird song, and abandons a frozen swallow discovered in his tunnels. Secretly, she nurses the swallow back to health until it flies away.
The mole admires her and eventually proposes, leaving Thumbelina disappointed and dejected. She does not accept but she feels she has no choice.
Finally, the day of the marriage arrives. Thumbelina steps outside to take a last glimpse of the sunlight before descending into the burrow forever. She mourns her fate.
Suddenly, Thumbelina hears chirping above her. The swallow that she had helped comes down to her. Unable to hold back her tears, she tells it of her impending wedding.
In this 1900 illustration by Andersen Tegner, Thumbelina flies away on the swallow's back, while the mouse and the mole watch from below.
Public Domain
The swallow offers to save her and carry her away to a distant, warmer place. Overjoyed, Thumbelina quickly climbs onto the swallow's back and the two set off.
The King
Thumbelina and the swallow finally arrive at the swallow's home in the south. It places Thumbelina on a large white flower and flies to its perch in an ancient marble temple.
In the flower, Thumbelina meets a young, tiny king, who rules the spirits of the flowers. Taken with each other, they soon fall in love and marry, living happily ever after.
Through this charming story, Andersen showed how Thumbelina maintains her virtue and goodness as she experiences these moments in maturation. And, because she never abandons her virtue, even when scared and hopeless, she merits the beautiful, happy ending to her story.
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Moments in Maturation: ‘Thumbelina'
Growing up can be extremely scary, yet, in his fairy tale ' An old woman wishes to have a little child of her own, so she asks a witch how to get one. In response, the witch gives her a seed and tells her to plant it. A beautiful flower grows from the seed and, when the flower finally opens, it reveals a little girl inside. The delighted old woman decides to call her Thumbelina, since she is no bigger than a thumb. The Toad Thumbelina lives happily with the old woman, until one night she is kidnapped by a toad. The toad has decided that she will be an excellent wife for its son, so it subsequently whisks her away to a muddy marsh. Thumbelina wakes to find herself floating on a water lily in the middle of the stream. She learns of her marriage to the toad's ugly, slimy son. Frightened, Thumbelina begins crying at her terrible, unescapable fate. A distraught Thumbelina is depicted in the 1872 original telling of "Thumbelina" by Hans Christian Andersen. Public Domain Yet, upon hearing her crying, the fish below pity her and cut the water lily free. So, down the stream Thumbelina drifts, happy and free from the toads. The May Bug As Thumbelina drifts down the river, a May bug spots her, swoops down, grabs her, and takes her to the top of a tree. The May bug feeds her honey and tells 'her how pretty she is, considering that she doesn't look the least like a May bug.' However, other May bugs come to see Thumbelina and begin criticizing her. They say how ugly she is. Their negative comments finally sway the May bug so that it agrees with them. It carries Thumbelina to the bottom of the tree, and abandons her there. Related Stories 4/19/2025 4/18/2025 Left alone and scared, Thumbelina fends for herself throughout summer and fall. But, when winter arrives, Thumbelina has neither shelter, nor warm clothing. She wanders into a large grain field, where she finds a field mouse's home. Pitying Thumbelina, the kind-hearted mouse welcomes her in and offers her a warm place to live. Thumbelina becomes acquainted with the mouse and the mole, in this 1900 illustration from the Andersen Tegner retelling of "Thumbelina." Public Domain The Mole Soon after Thumbelina's arrival, the field mouse's neighbor, the Mole, visits. Thumbelina isn't impressed with him, because he cannot see, doesn't like sunlight or bird song, and abandons a frozen swallow discovered in his tunnels. Secretly, she nurses the swallow back to health until it flies away. The mole admires her and eventually proposes, leaving Thumbelina disappointed and dejected. She does not accept but she feels she has no choice. Finally, the day of the marriage arrives. Thumbelina steps outside to take a last glimpse of the sunlight before descending into the burrow forever. She mourns her fate. Suddenly, Thumbelina hears chirping above her. The swallow that she had helped comes down to her. Unable to hold back her tears, she tells it of her impending wedding. In this 1900 illustration by Andersen Tegner, Thumbelina flies away on the swallow's back, while the mouse and the mole watch from below. Public Domain The swallow offers to save her and carry her away to a distant, warmer place. Overjoyed, Thumbelina quickly climbs onto the swallow's back and the two set off. The King Thumbelina and the swallow finally arrive at the swallow's home in the south. It places Thumbelina on a large white flower and flies to its perch in an ancient marble temple. In the flower, Thumbelina meets a young, tiny king, who rules the spirits of the flowers. Taken with each other, they soon fall in love and marry, living happily ever after. Through this charming story, Andersen showed how Thumbelina maintains her virtue and goodness as she experiences these moments in maturation. And, because she never abandons her virtue, even when scared and hopeless, she merits the beautiful, happy ending to her story. What arts and culture topics would you like us to cover? Please email ideas or feedback to
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Pickleball too easy? There's a new racquet sport bouncing onto the courts of L.A.
Coach Jon Guerra teaches technique during drills at his beginner padel clinic at the Padel Courts in Hollywood. (Chiara Alexa / For The Times) The ball pops up in the air and soars into an arc, drifting against the blue sky, then comes down with a plunk on the glass wall behind Jon Guerra. Out. 'Your swing is too hard,' Guerra says to me. Guerra, who goes by Coach Jon, is sending lobs across the net toward me and three other students at the Padel Courts, a hideaway just off Sunset Boulevard in Little Armenia. We're learning padel, a racquet sport played with foam paddle rackets on a tennis-like court surrounded by tempered glass walls. And it's proving to be quite a challenge. Advertisement 'Don't go toward the ball, let it bounce to you,' Guerra says after a ball boomerangs off the wall toward me and I miss it completely. Coach Jon Guerra, the head coach at the Padel Courts. (Chiara Alexa / For The Times) A sport that began in the 1960s in Mexico, padel has already exploded across Europe and South America, and fans are hopeful it will do the same in the U.S. It's been steadily gaining traction in Los Angeles, with new padel centers cropping up around the county: There's Padel Up at Westfield Century City, Pura Padel L.A. in Sherman Oaks and at the courts at L.A. Galaxy Park in Carson. This summer, the Los Angeles Padel Club, co-founded by L.A. real estate developer Steve Shpilsky, will open a padel clubhouse in a restored Hollywood-era mansion in Culver City. Later, the King of Padel, an indoor padel and pickleball club, will join San Pedro's West Harbor development. The Padel Courts, where I'm trying the sport, resembles a Thumbelina-sized country club. It has a cozy vibe — there's a fireplace in the clubhouse and a record player with Tyler, the Creator's 'Igor' album on it, alongside a wall full of trypophobia-inducing fiberglass-and-foam padel rackets. Advertisement Read more: Move over, pickleball: In this wealthy L.A. neighborhood, another game reigns supreme Guerra, who reached a ranking of No. 13 in the U.S. in 2023, started the day's clinic by explaining the difference between padel and tennis — the obvious one being the playable walls surrounding the court. You can either volley, play off a bounce or let the ball ricochet off tempered glass walls before you hit it. If your return hits the wall first, it's out. The fuzzy ball looks like a tennis ball but has a slightly lower PSI, meaning it's a little flatter and less bouncy. Serves are underhanded and aces are slow, intricately placed shots that bounce at an angle off the side glass. It's a game of mistakes, Guerra tells his students — you're waiting on your opponent to misfire a ball in a way that allows you to make a shot they can't return. Padel balls have a slightly lower PSI than a tennis ball, meaning they're a little flatter and less bouncy. (Chiara Alexa / For The Times) And there's an important rule: Padel is played doubles. Always. Much of the game involves strategizing in tandem. Advertisement 'Move up with your partner,' says Guerra as he sends balls toward the front of the net for us to volley. 'Partners move in to volley together and back to the baseline together.' I played tennis competitively in high school — not very well, but I held my own in some matches. But on this day I am struggling to hit any good shots whatsoever. The game feels a little slower, more reliant on careful lobs than power; it reminds me a little of billiards, though squash is probably padel's closest relative. Guerra tells me to twist my body into a closed position that feels counterintuitive to the open stroke of a tennis swing. Padel swings are short and precise — and extremely awkward. I know I look stupid as I smack a return into the net. 'I have friends who are older people in the country club where they start playing that have tennis experience that find it hard to learn after you are bonded to your ideas,' Guerra later tells me in the clubhouse after the clinic. 'It all depends on how much you are able to forget.' Padel began in Acapulco, Mexico, in 1969. (Chiara Alexa / For The Times) The sport began in 1969 when Mexican businessman Enrique Corcuera modified the squash court at his holiday home in Acapulco. He initially named the game 'Paddle Corcuera.' Advertisement In 1974, Corcuera's friend Alfonso de Hohenlohe-Langenburg, a Spanish prince and hotelier who dated Ava Gardner and Kim Novak, imported the game to his tony Marbella Club Hotel in Marbella, Spain. It quickly spread as a country club sport due to its foursome nature — many liken its companionship quality to golf. Today, Spain has more than 16,000 padel courts, making it the second most-played sport in the country behind soccer. Despite its country club roots, padel is competitive. It's more dynamic than pickleball, and the curve to learn it is a little steeper. By the time I finally punch a backhand onto the other side, it's been a few tries. I do feel triumphant. The next volley pongs off my racket and lands just in front of the base of the glass wall, making it difficult for my opponent to return. 'Perfect shot,' says Guerra. I am overjoyed. My teammate and I touch rackets to celebrate as if we're Agustin Tapia and Arturo Coello (the co-No. 1 players in the world). Read more: I completed my years-long quest to play at every L.A. tennis court. These 10 stand out Advertisement Padel is still most popular in Spain, where Guerra is from, as well as Argentina, but it's surging in the States. There were fewer than 20 courts in the U.S. in 2019 — now there are nearly 500. Houston and Miami are hotbeds. Floridian rapper Daddy Yankee opened the 10by20 Padel Club (courts are 10 meters wide by 20 meters long) and owns a pro team, the Orlando Florida Goats. L.A. is a little slower on the uptake but that is sure to change as padel's popularity grows. There's a professional team called the Los Angeles Beat in the Pro Padel League (PPL), the American circuit, that is mostly made up of internationally ranked Spanish and Argentine players. And the Los Angeles Padel Club's new Culver City location will be the home of the first youth development academy on the West Coast. 'Los Angeles has the perfect ingredients to stake its claim as one of the most important cities in the world for padel with its strong tennis and racquet sports heritage, ideal weather, international community and emphasis on wellness and social interactions,' says Christ Ishoo, co-owner of Los Angeles Beat, which also will be housed at the Los Angeles Padel Club clubhouse. Still, the idea that padel will follow the path of pickleball is questionable. The sport doesn't have the same accessibility as tennis and pickleball, which can be played for free on the many municipal courts in the city. Time at the Padel Courts is $100 per hour (which isn't too bad when split four ways) and should be reserved about a week in advance. (Chiara Alexa / For The Times) Yet Guerra sees great promise. 'I feel with pickleball, it's like when you see an entrepreneur that becomes a billionaire,' he says. 'You don't see the 20 years that he had to struggle to hustle.' Advertisement There was chatter that padel might become a competitive sport for the 2028 L.A. Olympics, but that effort fell short (it will be a demonstration sport). Yet there's still hope that it will be accepted for the 2032 Summer Olympics in Brisbane, Australia. Most importantly, padel is challenging and fun. During a demo, my partner and I are making a few nice shots and getting into a groove. I return a ricochet in a way that surprises even me. I work up a sweat. And I feel like I've made a little progress. Maybe an old tennis player can learn some new padel tricks. Guerra points his racquet at me and looks pleased. 'The earlier you lose fear and you forget, and you are less aware of how you look, the earlier you stop feeling stupid, the better,' he says. Sign up for The Wild newsletter to get weekly insider tips on the best of our beaches, trails, parks, deserts, forests and mountains. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
