{"id":530,"date":"2012-03-02T15:54:04","date_gmt":"2012-03-02T20:54:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/?p=530"},"modified":"2021-08-14T10:11:28","modified_gmt":"2021-08-14T14:11:28","slug":"very-little-people-borrowers-lilliputians-and-tom-thumb","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/very-little-people-borrowers-lilliputians-and-tom-thumb\/","title":{"rendered":"Little People"},"content":{"rendered":"<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-left counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69ea0aebe7a3f\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #999;color:#999\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-69ea0aebe7a3f\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/very-little-people-borrowers-lilliputians-and-tom-thumb\/#IMAGINARY_LITTLE_PEOPLE\" >IMAGINARY LITTLE PEOPLE<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-4'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/very-little-people-borrowers-lilliputians-and-tom-thumb\/2\/#REAL-LIFE_LITTLE_PEOPLE\" >REAL-LIFE LITTLE PEOPLE<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h4><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"IMAGINARY_LITTLE_PEOPLE\"><\/span><strong>IMAGINARY LITTLE PEOPLE<\/strong><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h4>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17000\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/george-shrinks-300x245.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"245\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/george-shrinks-300x245.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/george-shrinks-1024x836.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/george-shrinks-768x627.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/george-shrinks.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>In William Joyce\u2019s <em>George Shrinks<\/em> (HarperCollins, 1987), George wakes up to find that he\u2019s just three inches tall \u2013 but he creatively copes, managing to make his bed, brush his teeth, and do the dishes, as well as dealing with the now-gigantic family cat and his even more enormous baby brother. (He also takes a great ride in a toy airplane.) For ages 3-7.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17003\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/horton-218x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"218\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/horton-218x300.jpg 218w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/horton-745x1024.jpg 745w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/horton-768x1056.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/horton-1117x1536.jpg 1117w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/horton-1490x2048.jpg 1490w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/horton.jpg 1862w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 218px) 100vw, 218px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Horton the Elephant, the kind and dependable hero of Dr. Seuss\u2019s <em>Horton Hears a Who!<\/em> (Random House Books for Young Readers, 1954) hears a nearly inaudible cry for help and rescues a small speck of dust from blowing into a pool. The speck turns out to contain an entire population of infinitesimal people, and Horton spends the rest of the book protecting them from disbelieving acquaintances \u2013 because, after all, \u201ca person\u2019s a person, no matter how small.\u201d There\u2019s no better role model than Horton. For ages 4-8.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17007\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/little-one-inch-300x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/little-one-inch-300x300.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/little-one-inch-1024x1024.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/little-one-inch-150x150.jpg 150w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/little-one-inch-768x768.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/little-one-inch-1536x1536.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/little-one-inch.jpg 2000w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Florence Sakade\u2019s <em>Little One-Inch and Other Japanese Children\u2019s Favorite Stories<\/em> (Tuttle Publishing, 2008) is an illustrated collection of ten different traditional tales, among the \u201cThe Spider Weaver,\u201d \u201cThe Crab and the Monkey,\u201d and \u201cThe Rabbit Who Crossed the Sea.\u201d \u201cLittle One-Inch\u201d is the story of a thumb-sized baby boy who grows up to be a tiny samurai warrior, and then sets off to seek his fortune, armed with a needle, and using a soup bowl as a boat, with chopsticks for oars. For ages 4 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17022\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/tom-thumb-259x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"259\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/tom-thumb-259x300.jpg 259w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/tom-thumb.jpg 431w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 259px) 100vw, 259px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td><em>Tom Thumb<\/em> by Richard Jesse Watson (Sandpiper, 1993) is an adaptation of the traditional English tale in which a woman wishes desperately for a baby \u2013 even one \u201cno bigger than my husband\u2019s thumb.\u201d Her wish is granted and soon the tiniest of baby boys is born. Named Tom Thumb by the faeries, he grows up to have many adventures, and eventually is knighted by King Arthur.\u00a0 Watson\u2019s illustrations are exquisite paintings filled with natural details: lovingly depicted birds, animals, and plants, Tom\u2019s acorn cradle, and Tom\u2019s field-mouse steed. For ages 4-9.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td>From the Core Knowledge Foundation, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.coreknowledge.org\/free-resource\/ckla-domain-03-different-lands-similar-stories\/\">Different Lands, Similar Stories<\/a> is a nine-lesson unit comparing traditional stories across cultures &#8211; including tales of supernaturally tiny people. Targeted at grade 3.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17019\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/thumbelina-239x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"239\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/thumbelina-239x300.jpg 239w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/thumbelina.jpg 399w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 239px) 100vw, 239px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>My favorite of the many picture-book versions of Hans Christian Andersen\u2019s <em>Thumbelina<\/em> is Amy Ehrlich\u2019s adaptation, with lovely Victorian-style illustrations by Susan Jeffers (Dutton Juvenile Books, 2005).\u00a0 Like all Andersen tales, <em>Thumbelina <\/em>is somewhat eerie. The tiny girl who sleeps in a walnut-shell bed under a flower-petal coverlet is first kidnapped by a frightening toad and marooned on a lily pad, and then (almost) forcibly married to a blind mole, before she escapes to find her perfect home with the king of the fairies. For ages 4 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td>For the complete works of Hans Christian Andersen online, see <a href=\"http:\/\/hca.gilead.org.il\/\">Hans Christian Andersen: Fairy Tales and Stories<\/a>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td>Sur la Lune Fairytales&#8217; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.surlalunefairytales.com\/s-z\/thumbelina\/stories\/dollgrass.html\">Thumbelina<\/a>\u00a0has an annotated online text,\u00a0a gallery of illustrations, a list of related multicultural fairy tales about tiny people, modern interpretations of the story, and a bibliography.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17014\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/snow-white-224x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"224\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/snow-white-224x300.jpg 224w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/snow-white.jpg 373w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 224px) 100vw, 224px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Randall Jarrell&#8217;s translation of <em>Snow-White and the Seven Dwarfs<\/em> (Square Fish, 1987) is a stunningly gorgeous version of the story, with illustrations by Nancy Ekholm Burkert. Also see Sur la Lune Fairytales&#8217; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.surlalunefairytales.com\/s-z\/snow-white-seven-dwarfs\/snow-white-seven-dwarfs-tale.html\">Snow White<\/a>\u00a0for an annotated text, historical background information, an associated book list, and the names of Disney&#8217;s seven dwarfs.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17010\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Mirror-Mirror-38-225x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"225\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Mirror-Mirror-38-225x300.jpg 225w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Mirror-Mirror-38-768x1024.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Mirror-Mirror-38-1152x1536.jpg 1152w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Mirror-Mirror-38-1536x2048.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/Mirror-Mirror-38.jpg 1800w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 225px) 100vw, 225px\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Julia Roberts as Evil Queen? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt1667353\/\">Mirror Mirror<\/a> (2012), a Snow-White adaptation, is rated PG.<a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt1667353\/\"><br \/>\n<\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17015\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/the-littles-206x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"206\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/the-littles-206x300.jpg 206w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/the-littles-703x1024.jpg 703w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/the-littles-768x1118.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/the-littles.jpg 824w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 206px) 100vw, 206px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>John Peterson\u2019s <em>The Littles<\/em> (Scholastic, 2011) is the first of a series of short chapter books about a tiny family (with mouse-like tails) who lives in the walls of the Bigg family house \u2013 and who, in exchange for food and supplies, keep the Bigg house is running order. Then the Biggs go on vacation, leaving the house in the hands of the slovenly Newcombs. What follows is an infestation of mice and a <em>cat<\/em>.\u00a0 Many sequels. For ages 6-9.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17013\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/shrinking-of-treehorn-300x261.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"261\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/shrinking-of-treehorn-300x261.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/shrinking-of-treehorn-1024x891.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/shrinking-of-treehorn-768x668.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/shrinking-of-treehorn-1536x1337.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/shrinking-of-treehorn-2048x1782.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>In Florence Parry Heide\u2019s <em>The Shrinking of Treehorn<\/em> (Holiday House, 1992), Treehorn is clearly shrinking, but no one around him seems to notice or care. (\u201cNobody shrinks,\u201d said Treehorn\u2019s father.) Finally, in the nick of time, Treehorn manages to solve the problem on his own \u2013 but even that doesn\u2019t get much of a response. (\u201cThat\u2019s nice,\u201d said Treehorn\u2019s mother.) Funny and frustrating, with terrific deadpan illustrations by Edward Gorey. For ages 6 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17025\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/the-minpins-dahl-231x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"231\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/the-minpins-dahl-231x300.jpg 231w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/the-minpins-dahl.jpg 342w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 231px) 100vw, 231px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>In Roald Dahl\u2019s <em>The Minpins<\/em> (Puffin, 2009), Little Billy \u2013 despite awful warnings from his mother \u2013 goes into the Forest of Sin where, living in the tops of the trees, he discovers the Minpins, an entire village of miniature people who scamper around in the branches wearing little green boots equipped with suction cups. They are terrified by a monster, the Red-Hot Smoke-Belching Gruncher, and when Billy manages to dispatch it, he ends up with a liberating reward (magical nightly rides on the back of a swan). For ages 5-9.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-16999\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/gammage-cup-208x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"208\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/gammage-cup-208x300.jpg 208w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/gammage-cup.jpg 318w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 208px) 100vw, 208px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>The Minnipins of Carol Kendall\u2019s <em>The Gammage Cup<\/em> (Sandpiper, 2000) are little people \u2013 they\u2019re also known as the \u201cSmall Ones\u201d \u2013 who live in twelve villages scattered along the Watercress River in the Land Between the Mountains. The villages are competing for possession of the Gammage Cup, and the village of Slipper-on-the-Water, ruled by Ltd. and the other elite Periods \u2013 all named from abbreviations on a mysterious paper brought by an ancestor from the outside world \u2013 is determined to win the prize. The sticking point is five non-conformist citizens \u2013 the historian Walter the Earl, the poet Gummy, the artist Curley Green, the curmudgeonly accountant Mingy, and the scatty, but sweet-natured Muggles. Cast out by the prize-obsessed town, the five discover a terrible danger threatening all Minnipins and become heroes. For ages 8-12.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17006\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/little-grey-men-195x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/little-grey-men-195x300.jpg 195w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/little-grey-men.jpg 390w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 195px) 100vw, 195px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>The <em>Little Grey Men<\/em> by BB (a.k.a. Denys Watkins-Pitchford) (HarperCollins, 2004) is the story of the last four gnomes in Britain \u2013 Baldmoney, Sneezewort, Dodder, and Cloudberry &#8211; who live in a little house under the roots of an old oak tree by the banks of Folly Brook. At the beginning of the book, Cloudberry is missing, and his brothers set off in their little boat \u2013 the <em>Dragonfly<\/em> \u2013 to find him. The journey is filled with adventure: wonderful encounters with the birds and animals of Crow Wood; scary encounters with the gamekeeper, Giant Grum, and his dog, Jet; an inadvertently helpful little boy; and a catastrophic storm. The book was originally published in Great Britain in 1942, and is now \u2013 yet again \u2013 out of print, though can (and should) be obtained through used-book stores and libraries. For ages 8-12.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-16997\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/borrowers-207x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"207\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/borrowers-207x300.jpg 207w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/borrowers-708x1024.jpg 708w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/borrowers-768x1111.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/borrowers-1061x1536.jpg 1061w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/borrowers-1415x2048.jpg 1415w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/borrowers.jpg 1608w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 207px) 100vw, 207px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Mary Norton\u2019s <em>The Borrowers<\/em> (Harcourt Children\u2019s Books, 1953), set in the late 19<sup>th<\/sup> century, is the story of Pod, Homily, and young Arriety Clock, tiny people who live beneath the floor of an old house in England and survive by \u201cborrowing\u201d matchboxes, buttons, safety pins, and potatoes from the oblivious \u201chuman beans.\u201d Then Arrietty, in the teeth of Borrower tradition, befriends a human Boy, with whose help borrowing gets out of hand \u2013 which leads to near-disaster. There are four sequels. For ages 9-12.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-16996\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/arrietty-movie-200x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"200\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/arrietty-movie-200x300.jpg 200w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/arrietty-movie-683x1024.jpg 683w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/arrietty-movie-768x1152.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/arrietty-movie-1024x1536.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/arrietty-movie.jpg 1280w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 200px) 100vw, 200px\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Movie versions include Peter Hewitt\u2019s 1997 <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0118755\/\"><em>The Borrowers<\/em> <\/a>\u2013 a <em>Home-Alone<\/em>-like production involving hordes of Borrowers and an evil real estate developer; and Hayao Miyazaki\u2019s 2012 anime-style <a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt1568921\/\"><em>Arrietty<\/em><\/a>, which preserves more of the flavor of the books.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td>For a short Reader\u2019s Theater script based on The Borrowers, see <a href=\"http:\/\/www.aaronshep.com\/rt\/RTE29.html\">\u201cThe Borrower and the Boy\u201d<\/a> by Aaron Shepard.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-16998\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/city-under-back-steps-300x248.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"300\" height=\"248\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/city-under-back-steps-300x248.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/city-under-back-steps-1024x847.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/city-under-back-steps-768x635.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/city-under-back-steps-1536x1270.jpg 1536w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/city-under-back-steps-2048x1693.jpg 2048w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 300px) 100vw, 300px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>In Evelyn Sibley Lampman\u2019s <em>The City Under the Back Steps<\/em> (Doubleday, 1960), cousins Jill and Craig \u2013 who have been stepping on ants &#8211; are magically shrunk to the size of ants and imprisoned by the ant colony living under the back steps. There they become integrated into the world of ants: tunneling, gathering food, and eventually forming friendships. Jill endears herself to the ants who work in the colony\u2019s nursery; Craig, armed with a pocketknife, defeats a marauding antlion; and both aid the colony during an attack by hostile red ants. It\u2019s a delightful and adventure-packed book, and a terrific way to learn a lot about ants. That said, it\u2019s out of print \u2013 check your local library.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17004\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/indian-in-cupboard-204x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"204\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/indian-in-cupboard-204x300.jpg 204w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/indian-in-cupboard-697x1024.jpg 697w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/indian-in-cupboard-768x1129.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/indian-in-cupboard-1045x1536.jpg 1045w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/indian-in-cupboard-1394x2048.jpg 1394w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/indian-in-cupboard.jpg 1557w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 204px) 100vw, 204px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>In Lynne Reid Banks\u2019s <em>The Indian in the Cupboard<\/em> (Yearling, 2010), Omri gets a battered cupboard for his birthday \u2013 which, when used with a magical key, proves capable of bringing small toys to life. A plastic Indian figure emerges as a miniature human being \u2013 a tiny Iroquois warrior named Little Bear. Omri and his friend Patrick, however, soon discover that the cupboard is not a child\u2019s game: the people that emerge from it are real human beings with feelings and lives. There are four sequels: <em>The Return of the Indian, The Secret of the Indian, The Mystery of the Cupboard,<\/em> and <em>The Key to the Indian<\/em>. For ages 9-12.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"https:\/\/mosswoodconnections.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2018\/10\/The-Indian-and-the-Cupboard.pdf\">The Indian in the Cupboard<\/a> study unit includes chapter-by-chapter discussion questions, writing prompts, and extension activities, among these making a map of Iroquois territory and building and decorating a cupboard.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17017\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/the-castle-in-the-attic-paperback_1_fullsize-205x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"205\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/the-castle-in-the-attic-paperback_1_fullsize-205x300.jpg 205w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/the-castle-in-the-attic-paperback_1_fullsize-699x1024.jpg 699w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/the-castle-in-the-attic-paperback_1_fullsize-768x1125.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/the-castle-in-the-attic-paperback_1_fullsize.jpg 1024w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 205px) 100vw, 205px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>In Elizabeth Winthrop\u2019s <em>The Castle in the Attic<\/em> (Perfection Learning, 2001), William\u2019s beloved nanny, Mrs. Phillips, is returning to England. As a parting gift she gives him the toy castle that had been in her family for generations, together with its little lead inhabitant, the Silver Knight. When William touches the knight, it comes alive in his hand. His name is Sir Simon; he has been under the spell of an evil wizard; and he has a magical amulet that \u2013 with the proper magic word \u2013 makes things small. Soon Mrs. Phillips and William are both caught up in the magic, and \u2013 reduced to tiny size \u2013 participate in the quest to free Sir Simon\u2019s country from the cruel rule of the wizard Alastor. There\u2019s a sequel, <em>The Battle for the Castle<\/em>. For ages 9-12.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><\/td>\n<td><a href=\"http:\/\/www.carolhurst.com\/titles\/castleintheattic.html\">Carol Hurst\u2019s Children\u2019s Literature Site<\/a>\u00a0has\u00a0a book summary, discussion questions, and activities to accompany <em>The Castle in the Attic<\/em>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17005\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/knights-castle-eager-202x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"202\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/knights-castle-eager-202x300.jpg 202w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/knights-castle-eager-688x1024.jpg 688w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/knights-castle-eager-768x1143.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/knights-castle-eager-1033x1536.jpg 1033w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/knights-castle-eager-1377x2048.jpg 1377w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/knights-castle-eager.jpg 1538w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 202px) 100vw, 202px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>In Edward Eager\u2019s <em>Knight\u2019s Castle<\/em> (Harcourt Young Classics, 1999), Roger and Ann are sent to Baltimore to stay with their cousins Eliza and Jack while their father is in the hospital. Roger brings with him his collection of 256 toy soldiers \u2013 among them the mysterious (and magical) Old One, who can (if you earn them) grant wishes. With the help of the Old One, the children become small-sized and enter into the storybook world of the playroom toy castle, where they considerably improve on the ending of Sir Walter Scott\u2019s <em>Ivanhoe<\/em>. For ages 9-12.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17012\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/return-of-the-twelves-203x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"203\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/return-of-the-twelves-203x300.jpg 203w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/return-of-the-twelves.jpg 320w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 203px) 100vw, 203px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>The Twelves of Pauline Clarke\u2019s <em>Return of the Twelves<\/em> (Yearling, 1962) are a troop of old wooden soldiers, discovered in the attic of his family\u2019s farmhouse in Yorkshire by eight-year-old Max \u2013 and who, amazingly, come alive when Max beats on a drum. The soldiers, it turns out, once belonged to the Bronte children, and all have names, histories, and personalities. When a rich American collector offers an enormous reward for the soldiers, the Twelves set off on a dangerous cross-country trek to their original home at Haworth Manor \u2013 and Max, who has been adopted by the troop as a \u201cGenii\u201d or protector, struggles to see that they get there safely. Not only is it a terrific story, but readers, willy-nilly, learn a lot about the Napoleonic wars, the Bronte family, and the words to the song \u201cThe Brave Old Duke of York.\u201d For ages 9-12. It\u2019s out of print, but available at libraries and through used-book sellers.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17001\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/gulliver-245x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"245\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/gulliver-245x300.jpg 245w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/gulliver.jpg 409w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 245px) 100vw, 245px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>There are several adaptations of Jonathan Swift\u2019s <em>Gulliver\u2019s Travels<\/em> for younger readers in which Gulliver, among other adventures, journeys to a land of tiny people called Lilliput. Among these is <em>Jonathan Swift\u2019s Gulliver<\/em> by Martin Jenkins (Candlewick Press, 2010), an excellent illustrated 144-page re-telling of the classic tale for ages 9-14.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17002\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/gullivers-travels-series-209x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"209\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/gullivers-travels-series-209x300.jpg 209w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/gullivers-travels-series-715x1024.jpg 715w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/gullivers-travels-series-768x1100.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/gullivers-travels-series-1073x1536.jpg 1073w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/gullivers-travels-series-1430x2048.jpg 1430w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/gullivers-travels-series.jpg 1569w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 209px) 100vw, 209px\" \/><\/td>\n<td>The 1996 mini-series of <a href=\"https:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0115195\/\"><em>Gulliver\u2019s Travels<\/em><\/a> stars Ted Danson as Gulliver and Peter O\u2019Toole as the King of the Lilliputians. Rated PG.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17011\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/mistress-masham-193x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"193\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/mistress-masham-193x300.jpg 193w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/mistress-masham.jpg 322w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 193px) 100vw, 193px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<div><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>Ten-year-old Maria, the heroine of T.H. White\u2019s <em>Mistress Masham\u2019s Repose<\/em> (NYR Children\u2019s Collection, 2004) is the orphaned mistress of Malplaquet, a vast crumbling palace with 365 windows (all broken but six), where she lives under the thumbs of her guardian, the nasty local vicar Mr. Hater, and her venomous governess, Miss Brown. Then, on an overgrown island in the estate lake, Maria encounters a population of tiny people \u2013 descendants of the Lilliputians captured and brought to England by the sea captain who rescued Gulliver. When Mr. Hater and Miss Brown discover the people and attempt to exploit them for their own ends, Maria and her friend, the dotty neighboring Professor, must manage to defeat them. A witty and wonderful read, with plenty of fuel for discussion, for ages 9 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17016\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/the-various-195x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"195\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/the-various-195x300.jpg 195w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/the-various-664x1024.jpg 664w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/the-various-768x1184.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/the-various-997x1536.jpg 997w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/the-various-1329x2048.jpg 1329w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/the-various.jpg 1657w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 195px) 100vw, 195px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>In Steve Augarde\u2019s <em>The Various<\/em> (Yearling, 2005), the first of the Touchstone trilogy, 11-year-old Midge comes to visit her eccentric uncle Brian\u2019s farm and discovers \u2013 in the bramble-surrounded neighboring wood \u2013 five tribes of tiny people called \u201cthe Various,\u201d each with cultures and habitats of their own. Sequels are <em>Celandine<\/em> and <em>Winter Wood<\/em>. For ages 9 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17024\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/wonderful-adv-of-nils-217x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"217\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/wonderful-adv-of-nils-217x300.jpg 217w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/wonderful-adv-of-nils-741x1024.jpg 741w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/wonderful-adv-of-nils-768x1062.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/wonderful-adv-of-nils.jpg 868w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 217px) 100vw, 217px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>In Selma Lagerlof\u2019s classics <em>The Wonderful Adventures of Nils<\/em> and <em>The Further Adventures of Nils Holgersson<\/em> (Penfield Press, 2000), originally published in 1906, young Nils \u2013 after annoying an elf \u2013 is reduced to elf size and then, riding on the back of a wild goose, travels the country of Sweden. Originally commissioned to teach geography to Swedish children, Nils\u2019s adventures cover a lot of historical, cultural, and geographical territory \u2013 as well as conveying surprisingly modern insights on the importance of wilderness preservation and environmental stewardship. For ages 9 and up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17023\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/wee-free-men-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/wee-free-men-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/wee-free-men.jpg 331w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>In Terry Pratchett\u2019s <em>The Wee Free Men<\/em> (HarperCollins, 2004), feisty nine-year-old witch-to-be Tiffany Aching\u2019s brother has been nabbed by the fairies, so off she goes to get him back, armed with an iron frying pan. As it turns out, she also has to save the world from monsters; and for help, she has the backing of the Nac Mac Feegle or Wee Free Men, a band of obstreperous, six-inch-tall, bright-blue Scottish pictsies (not pixies). Hilarious and delightful, for ages 10 and up. There\u2019s a sequel: <em>A Hat Full of Sky<\/em>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17020\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/toby-alone-201x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"201\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/toby-alone-201x300.jpg 201w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/toby-alone.jpg 669w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 201px) 100vw, 201px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td><em>Toby Alone<\/em> by Timoth\u00e9e de Fombelle (Candlewick Press, 2009) features a world of extremely small \u2013 no more than two millimeters tall &#8211; people who live in a vast oak known simply as the Tree. The tree is in political and social turmoil: thirteen-year-old Toby\u2019s scientist parents have been captured and imprisoned, and he is alone and on the run. The root of the problem is politician\/industrialist Joe Mitch, who is bent on exploiting the sap of the Tree for business purposes \u2013 a project that will inevitably kill it. Despite its minuscule characters, the book has more in common with <em>1984<\/em> than <em>The Borrowers<\/em>. This is a complex and sometimes violent story about the uses and abuses of power, and the consequences of environmental destruction. A thought-provoking read for ages 12 and up. The sequel \u2013 <em>Toby Alone<\/em> ends with a cliffhanger \u2013 is <em>Toby and the Secrets of the Tree<\/em>.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<p><!--nextpage--><\/p>\n<h4><strong>REAL-LIFE LITTLE PEOPLE<\/strong><\/h4>\n<table>\n<tbody>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17018\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/thing-about-georgie-202x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"202\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/thing-about-georgie-202x300.jpg 202w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/thing-about-georgie-689x1024.jpg 689w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/thing-about-georgie-768x1142.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/thing-about-georgie.jpg 807w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 202px) 100vw, 202px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>In Lisa Graff\u2019s <em>The Thing About Georgie<\/em> (HarperCollins, 2008), Georgie\u2019s thing is height. He\u2019s a little person \u2013 a dwarf \u2013 and, at nine years old, can\u2019t expect to grow much more than his present height of three and a half feet. Each chapter begins with a hand-printed account of what life is like as a dwarf, with a helpful interactive component: try stretching your right arm over your head to touch your left ear, for example (Georgie can\u2019t); or do some measuring to see if you could reach the light switch or the bathroom faucet if you were only 42 inches tall. Along with his height, Georgie also has to cope with all the problems that come with being a fourth-grade boy: best friend trouble, mean classmate Jeanie, and the fact that his mother is expecting a new (non-dwarf) baby. Touching, funny, and informative. For ages 8-12.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17026\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/short-199x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"199\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/short-199x300.jpg 199w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/short.jpg 331w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 199px) 100vw, 199px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>In Holly Goldberg Sloan&#8217;s <em>Short<\/em> (Dial Books, 2017), Julia &#8211; who is very short for her age &#8211; is cast as a Munchkin in a performance of <em>The Wizard of Oz<\/em> and finds role models in fellow cast member Olive, an adult with dwarfism, and creative neighbor Mrs. Chang. A story of self discovery for ages 8-12.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17021\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/tom-thumb-bio-269x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"269\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/tom-thumb-bio-269x300.jpg 269w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/tom-thumb-bio.jpg 600w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 269px) 100vw, 269px\" \/><\/p>\n<div class=\"rg_ilmbg\"><\/div>\n<\/td>\n<td>George Sullivan\u2019s <em>Tom Thumb: The Remarkable True Story of a Man in Miniature<\/em> is a 200-page biography of Charles Stratton \u2013 dubbed \u201cGeneral Tom Thumb\u201d by P.T. Barnum \u2013 who, as an adult, was just under three feet tall. The book is illustrated with period photographs and prints. For ages 10 and up.<\/p>\n<p>Sullivan\u2019s book touches on the question of the exploitation of the different \u2013 though in Charles\/Tom\u2019s case, small size seems to have been an advantage, leading to fame and (since Stratton was good with money) fortune. (Late in life, when P.T. Barnum was strapped for cash, Stratton bailed him out.)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td style=\"width: 300px;\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-17009\" src=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/lord-minimus-218x300.jpg\" alt=\"\" width=\"218\" height=\"300\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/lord-minimus-218x300.jpg 218w, https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/03\/lord-minimus.jpg 400w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 218px) 100vw, 218px\" \/><\/td>\n<td>Nick Page\u2019s <em>Lord Minimus<\/em> (St. Martin\u2019s Press, 2002) is the story of Jeffrey Hudson, Britain\u2019s smallest man, who served as official dwarf at the court of King Charles I and Queen Henrietta Maria. For teens and adults.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>IMAGINARY LITTLE PEOPLE In William Joyce\u2019s George Shrinks (HarperCollins, 1987), George wakes up to find that he\u2019s just three inches tall \u2013 but he creatively&hellip;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":17643,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[785,779],"tags":[580,576,236,577,573,578,579,575,574],"class_list":["post-530","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-fantasy","category-literature","tag-dwarves","tag-gullivers-travels","tag-hans-christian-andersen","tag-lilliput","tag-little-people-books","tag-little-people-lesson-plans","tag-little-people-teaching-resources","tag-thumbelina","tag-tom-thumb"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/530","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=530"}],"version-history":[{"count":37,"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/530\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":20521,"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/530\/revisions\/20521"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/17643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=530"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=530"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.rebeccaruppresources.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=530"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}