# Tom Thumb — Short Fiction character guide

> Tom Thumb in Short Fiction by Beatrix Potter.

**Role:** supporting

**Also known as:** Tom

**First appearance:** 0004-the-tale-of-two-bad-mice

## Snapshot

A soot-covered kitten who tumbles down the wrong chimney and lands in the bed of a rat with culinary ambitions.

## Who they are

Tom Kitten is the missing child of Tabitha Twitchit's unruly brood, a curious wanderer who discovers a hidden world of rafters and cobwebs behind the wainscot. His fall into Samuel Whiskers' bed turns him from a naughty kitten into a trussed bundle of dough and butter, helpless while the rats debate breadcrumbs versus dough. His plight drives the story's central suspense, as his muffled mews and frantic wriggling go unheard except by a spider that judges knots but offers no rescue.

## In the story

### [The Tale of Two Bad Mice](https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_7_se/chapters/the-tale-of-two-bad-mice)

One of the two bad mice; he loses his temper and smashes the doll's house food, then throws clothes out the window.

## Links

- HTML: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_7_se/characters/tom_thumb
- Book: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_7_se
- All characters: https://www.betterreads.dev/discover/short_fiction_7_se/characters