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3.86 AVERAGE
3.86 AVERAGE
Cute. Very cute actually. I loved all the peoples.
This is a lovely story full of simple magic. A people small enough to live under the floor, and the wonder of the boy who befriends them. I reread this series every so often and it never ceases to entertain! The illustrations are beautifully detailed as well, bringing the story to life.
Somehow I missed this book as a kid. It is lovely and charming.
I greatly enjoyed re-reading this classic children's book. We started an every other month book club for elementary students and their families. Our target age is 3rd-6th grade but we also have some ESL reading families joining us with readers a little above that age, which we welcome as well. We won't turn any away who want to join us in our reading. We were greatly pleased to have about 15 patrons at our first book club in March but this time (May) we only had 3. We hope for a better turn out for July.
I love the simple innocence of this series. The fantasy book is quite enjoyable and the premise that the things that seem to frequently get lost in a home are the result of little people, called borrowers, taking our things is enchanting.
"'Are their such things?' she asked after a moment.
'As what?'
'As people, other people, living in a house who...borrow things?'
'Mrs. May laid down her work. 'What do you think? she asked.
'I don't know,' Kate said, pulling hard at her show button. 'There can't be. And yet'-she raised her head-'and yet sometimes I think there must be.'
'Why do you think there must be? asked Mrs. May.
'Because of all the things that disappear. Safety pins, for instance. Factories go on making safety pins and yet, somehow, there never is a safety pin just when you want one. Where are they all? Now, at this minute? Where do they go to? Take needles,' she went on, 'All the needles my mother ever bought-there must be hundreds-can't just be lying about this house.'
'Not lying about the house, no,' agreed Mrs. May.
'And all the other things we keep on buying. Again and again and again. Like pencils and match boxes and sealing wax and hairpins and drawing pins and thimbles-'
'And hat pins,' put in Mrs. May, 'and blotting paper.' pg 4-5
The borrower family are a little haughty, thinking the big people are only there to make sure they have the supplies they need. They are also, as a result of their size and lack of availability of going large distances (for them at least) ignorant of the large world around them and think that there are only a few large people alive. They have no idea of the size of the earth and the number of humans inhabiting it.
Their daughter, although warned to stay away from the big people, befriends a boy who has come temporarily to live in the old house and that causes many adventures and a calamity as well making the book exciting reading.
I found reading the book quite enjoyable, again, and I may, in the future, read the rest of the series.
I love the simple innocence of this series. The fantasy book is quite enjoyable and the premise that the things that seem to frequently get lost in a home are the result of little people, called borrowers, taking our things is enchanting.
"'Are their such things?' she asked after a moment.
'As what?'
'As people, other people, living in a house who...borrow things?'
'Mrs. May laid down her work. 'What do you think? she asked.
'I don't know,' Kate said, pulling hard at her show button. 'There can't be. And yet'-she raised her head-'and yet sometimes I think there must be.'
'Why do you think there must be? asked Mrs. May.
'Because of all the things that disappear. Safety pins, for instance. Factories go on making safety pins and yet, somehow, there never is a safety pin just when you want one. Where are they all? Now, at this minute? Where do they go to? Take needles,' she went on, 'All the needles my mother ever bought-there must be hundreds-can't just be lying about this house.'
'Not lying about the house, no,' agreed Mrs. May.
'And all the other things we keep on buying. Again and again and again. Like pencils and match boxes and sealing wax and hairpins and drawing pins and thimbles-'
'And hat pins,' put in Mrs. May, 'and blotting paper.' pg 4-5
The borrower family are a little haughty, thinking the big people are only there to make sure they have the supplies they need. They are also, as a result of their size and lack of availability of going large distances (for them at least) ignorant of the large world around them and think that there are only a few large people alive. They have no idea of the size of the earth and the number of humans inhabiting it.
Their daughter, although warned to stay away from the big people, befriends a boy who has come temporarily to live in the old house and that causes many adventures and a calamity as well making the book exciting reading.
I found reading the book quite enjoyable, again, and I may, in the future, read the rest of the series.
adventurous
funny
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
fast-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
I was considering this to read to Hadley, but I don't think I will. It was obvious this was written in the 1950s. Lots of the jargon is no longer used, and I couldn't figure out much from context. I've seen in other old books how the writing style at the time always included long inventories of items; listing all the food on the table, or every piece of furniture in a room. That bothers me; it kills the pace of the story.
Otherwise I was curious about the story, and the last three chapters actually had me interested. I was disappointed, because I was hoping for a nice story that my daughter would like listening to. I think she'd be bored with this, because I was bored with long stretches.
Otherwise I was curious about the story, and the last three chapters actually had me interested. I was disappointed, because I was hoping for a nice story that my daughter would like listening to. I think she'd be bored with this, because I was bored with long stretches.
adventurous
lighthearted
adventurous
lighthearted
slow-paced
Loveable characters:
Yes
3 stars - might read again
Life's Library Readathon 2020 - Pearl prompt
Part of a series.
Life's Library Readathon 2020 - Pearl prompt
Part of a series.