The Borrowers by Mary Norton illustrated by Beth and Joe Krush

 

The idea that tiny people live under your house is an appealing and intriguing one and could explain the things that seem to go missing such as socks, pins, pegs, and pencils. I remember loving a book I read as a child about a family of fairies or tiny people who lived in a doll house. The best things about that house were the electric lights and hot and cold water in the bath tub. I think my life long fascination with dolls houses dates back to that book but sadly I have no idea about the title. 

Pod, Homily and their daughter Arrietty live under a large old house. They are borrowers. Their house, under the kitchen, is made from their borrowings. 

"The bathed in a small tureen, which once held pate de foie gras."

"Homily would simmer soup ... in a silver thimble."

"She looked at the homemade dips set in upturned drawing pins which Homily had placed as candle-holders among the tea things ... Homily had put out the silver plates - the silver florin ones for herself and Arrietty and the half-crown for Pod."

The Clock family are the last family living in the house. There is a lot of speculation about the fate of the other borrower families.

"Borrowing's a skilled job, an art like. Of all the families who've been in this house, there's only us left, and do you know for why? Because your father, Arrietty, is the best borrower that's been known in these parts since - well before your grandad's time."

Arrietty joins Pod on a borrowing expedition but she is SEEN. Is this the beginning of the end for the Clock family?

"What had happened seemed too big for thought; she felt unable to believe it had really happened; not only had she been talked to but she had (talked)."

I think the most surprising aspect of this story, for me, was the change of voice. The story opens with Mrs May recounting a story from long ago that she heard from her brother about the tiny people who lived under the house where he had been sent to convalesce after falling ill in India. Then there is a shift and from Chapter two through to Chapter eighteen we enter the world of the Borrowers. Chapter nineteen then switches back to Mrs May and Kate and by the end of the book the scene is set for further adventures.

Mary Norton wrote further adventures: The sequels are titled alliteratively and alphabetically: The Borrowers Afield (1955), The Borrowers Afloat (1959), The Borrowers Aloft (1961), and The Borrowers Avenged (1982).  The Borrowers won the 1952 Carnegie Medal. 

I am always on the lookout for older classic stories that I may or may not have read as a child. I thought I had read The Borrowers but re-reading it yesterday now I am not so sure because my mind could be confusing the book with the Studio Ghibli movie Arrietty which I also loved.

The Borrowers was first published in 1953 so it is a classic story. It is still in print and I am going to stay it has stood the test of time. Here are some old and newer covers:

Above and below are bind up editions with all the stories in one volume.

There have been several screen adaptations of The Borrowers:

• The Borrowers: a 1973 American made-for-TV movie in the Hallmark Hall of Fame.
• The Borrowers: a 1992 BBC TV series and its 1993 sequel The Return of the Borrowers, both starring Ian Holm and Penelope Wilton.
• The Borrowers: a 1997 film with a British/American cast including Tom Felton, John Goodman, Jim Broadbent, Celia Imrie and Mark Williams.
• Arrietty: a 2010 Japanese animated film from Studio Ghibli, known as The Secret World of Arrietty in North America.
• The Borrowers: a 2011 BBC production starring Stephen Fry, Victoria Wood, and Christopher Eccleston.

After reading The Borrowers you might try to find these picture books:

I read about this book which was recommended for younger readers. There are three books in the series:

I have also had The Secret of the Blue Glass on my to read list for a long time after it was recommended by a friend.

Kirkus star review: Originally published in Japan in 1967, this is a powerful mix of fantasy and historical fiction depicting the impact of war on civilians—children in particular—and offering insights into the Japanese experience of the Second World War. Although filled with lovely imagery and charming descriptions, for example, of the Little People’s ingenuity with scavenged objects and their friendship with a helpful pigeon, there is ample drama and anguish as well. A child’s goodness in difficult times animates this touching story for fans of The Borrowers and the Chronicles of Narnia.