50 in '12: #4

[sakon76]

Title: The Littles Have A Wedding
Author: John Peterson
Length: 95 pages


Picked up at the same rummage sale where I got Little House On Rocky Ridge. Also for a quarter. Mostly got out of nostalgia. I loved The Littles cartoon when I was a kid (I have the DVDs) and I liked the books too, though never quite as much. Even then, the interaction of two different peoples/worlds interested me more than either of them apart.

I may have even read this book, twenty-five years ago. It's possible. But I don't remember it, so I'm counting it toward my total. And, honestly, I found it... refreshing. Simple, in this era of Harry Potter epics. Plus, as an adult I can appreciate more of the naming subtleties. The Littles and the Biggs are fairly obvious, as is Cousin Dinky. But realizing that Betsy is an homonym for bitsy? And snickering at the bride being named Della Kett? That takes more appreciation of subtlety than I had back then. Plus there are subtle moral complexities involved with what the little people take from the humans, and I very much get the feeling that the characters were drawn from people the author knew or had witnessed. They feel very real for characters in a book for this age set.

Verdict: Recommended for nostalgia freaks like me. And anyone with elementary school kids.

Comments

[dragondancer515.livejournal.com]

Ooooooh, my brother and I used to watch the cartoon when we were kids! I didn't know there were books too, though. Fun!

[sakon76.livejournal.com]

The cartoon was based on the book series. There are some differences, biggest of which is that Henry does not know about the Littles in the books. Also, Dinky is less of comic relief buffoon in the books, which is sometimes good. Even as a kid, Dinky's idiocy sometimes got on my nerves.

[morgie.livejournal.com]

They are doing a movie adaptation coming out this month too. I should wander over to the library to see if I can find the books. I'm another who didn't know the cartoon was based on written word! :)

[sakon76.livejournal.com]

If it's The Secret World of Arrietty you're thinking of, that's actually based on The Borrowers book series by Mary Norton, not on The Littles. Though both were good, in disparate ways. The Borrowers series was aimed at slightly older kids. I'm actually quite looking forward to seeing Studio Ghibli's adaptation, and seeing if they remain any truer to it than they have to other western novels they've adapted....

[morgie.livejournal.com]

Inntteresting! I shall have to get many, many books next week, then.

[spiderlove.livejournal.com]

Saw a preview screening of it today! It's been updated a bit, but in a refreshing sort of way - and naturally relocated the story to Japan. Made the villain more lovable than threatening. Watching her try to give directions over the phone was one of the funniest scenes in the whole movie. They didn't alter the core of the plot or the main themes (even the ones I wanted them to - that pretty dollhouse furniture ;_;!)

I think you'll like it. ^^

[spiderlove.livejournal.com]

Wait, what? There were Littles BOOKS? I watched the cartoon, and I had everything Borrowers, but... Littles had books, too? *o*