Wednesday, April 21, 2010

An excellent story

My husband recently introduced my son and me to Mary Norton's 1952 classic, "The Borrowers."

The first book in a series about a family of little people who "borrow" things from "human beans" was one of his favorites as a child. It quickly has became one of ours.

In "The Borrowers," we are introduced to young Arrietty Clock, her father Pod and mother Homily. The Clocks live under the floorboards near -- what else? -- the grandfather clock.

The drama builds when Pod gets "seen" by a boy upstairs. The Clocks decide it's important to teach their 14-year-old daughter about the ways of borrowers and the world above. But Arrietty defies the protocals of being a borrower and actually develops a relationship with the human boy upstairs.

"Just get out of there," my son, unable to stand the suspense, cried out as I read about the first time Arrietty was seen. His alarm and relief at key moments of discovery and resolution were visible as we read the book.

Some other good books we recently brought home from the library:

  • One Tiny Turtle (Nicola Davies)
  • Big Blue Whale (Nicola Davies)
  • Mouse Soup (Arnold Lobel)
  • Duck Soup (Jackie Urbanovic)

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