This is a great entry in a great series, which features the adventures of a family of small people-with-tails named the Littles, who live in the walls of the clueless humans, the Biggs. This is probably my favorite book in the series, prominently featuring two other families of little people, the Specks and the Tinies. These two clans have an irrational distrust of each other, and the Littles get caught up in their struggles just when they desperately need to be focused on the pregnancy of Mrs. Little. The elements that make the series consistently great are also on full display. The little people are essentially living in isolated pockets in the vast and dangerous frontier created by humans, and they must rely on their own wits to carve out a decent living. The problems they face, and the solutions that they struggle to find, are amazingly realistic, and there is no need to create evil-minded villains when the terrain is so inhospitable. Seeing the other clans in action also shows that the methods of living life on such a small scale can be very localized; the Specks, who live in the trunk of a tree, have an entirely different way of life than the Littles. This is a charming series, with hundreds of thoughtful details that will delight children with their ability to portray a real world. Interactions with housecats and toy gliders are particularly thrilling. Also, I would be remiss not to mention the wonderful sepia-toned drawings by Roberta Carter Clark. They mirror the text's adherence to realism, and give us a very graphic and fun look at the scenes that the text describes.
The Littles to the Rescue
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 20 years ago
The book had adventure, fun, mystery and danger. The Little Family had to go look for Aunt Lilly after she falls from cousin Dinke's glider. The small family must explore the world of regular size people to find Aunt Lilly. The Little Family use a family cat for their ride as they search the forest. While in the forest they meet large animals and other tiny people called tree and ground tinies. The book ends with the rescue of Aunt Lilly and a journey back to their home in the house of the Big's family. I ernjoyed reading this book.
Highly recommended
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 21 years ago
Living on this Earth, right under our very noses, is a race of tiny people. They are not dwarfs or elves, but simply tiny people, six inches tall at the most and possessing beautiful, furry tails. And in the home of the Biggs, lives a family of these tiny people, called the Littles.In this book, Mrs. Little is coming due for the birth of her baby. But, with a snowstorm covering the area, the Littles decide that they must telephone Aunt Lily (a nurse from four houses away - quite a long distance) and tell her NOT to come. However, when a human intercepts the call, Aunt Lily decides that the call was a call for help, and she and Cousin Dinky set off in his glider. Disaster strikes when a gust of wind throws Lily out of the glider, and now it is up to the Littles to stage a rescue. It's a dangerous world out there for a little person, and Aunt Lily has fallen into adventures in a big wood!I am a fan of Mary Norton's Borrowers books, and was saddened by the knowledge that there would never be any more. When I discovered Mr. Peterson's Littles books I was overjoyed, hoping that these would be just as good. Well, I wasn't disappointed!The story in this book is charming, and quite entertaining. My children and I were thrilled with the story, and look forward to reading more of the adventures of the Littles. We highly recommend this book to you.
Third Book in The Littles Series
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 21 years ago
In "The Littles to the Rescue", Mrs. Little is expecting her third child, and, by tradition, she wants Aunt Lily to deliver it. However, Aunt Lily and her son, Cousin Dinky, live four houses away, which is quite a distance for Tinies (little creatures--approximately 4 - 6 inches tall--that vaguely resemble elves with tails). Nevertheless, Cousin Dinky pilots his mother in his glider plane to the Littles' residence, even though it's in the middle of the night and snowing. However, during the trip, Aunt Lily falls out of the plane and is captured by the reclusive Ground Tinies. A search party is formed to locate Aunt Lily, with the added help of a cat and skunk, who remarkably don't make a meal out of the Littles. But will they find her in time?This was one of my favorite books (and cartoon series) when I was a kid. It was given to me by my grandmother when I was about eight-years-old. Not only are the black-and-white illustrations terrific, but the Littles are extremely resourceful and imaginative in this story, using most things people throw away as tools, decorations, etc. My only two complaints are that the book has a rather abrupt ending (or perhaps there's a page missing from my book; I have had it for about 15 years), and that it's a bit ...., though younger readers may not pick up on this. Still, "The Littles to the Rescue" is a fun adventure story for children age 7 - 10. Highly recommended.
The Littles to the Rescue
Published by Thriftbooks.com User , 22 years ago
I am 7 years old and in 2nd grade.I like to read about the Littles because they are always having fun adventures.This story was interesting when the Littles traveled by rabbits, a cat, and a skunk.I try to think how much fun and how fast I could go on these animals. I like how the Littles get help from animals. I thought Aunt Lily was not going to make it in time for the baby.But with the help of everybody she was found.
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