For those of you who, like me, somehow managed to escape childhood without reading this book, the story begins with a little girl named Kate and a woman named Mrs. May, a distant relative who has become a boarder in Kate's house. Over their crochet hooks one evening Mrs. May tells Kate a story about her brother's visit, a long time ago, to their ancient Great-Aunt Sophy and her ancient mansion in the English countryside.
One night, while sleeping in a long-unused nursery, the little boy spots a tiny man climbing a curtain with a doll's tea cup in his hand. The tiny man is Pod, a Borrower who lives under the mansion's kitchen floor and is the husband of Homily (a prim housewife terrified of the upstairs world) and the father of Arrietty (a sheltered girl eager to explore). Pod and Homily are horrified that he has been "seen," but eventually, the relationship between the boy and the Borrowers leads to quite a bit of excitement. There's interior decorating (titillating for Homily), a mysterious correspondence with far-off relatives, and finally, terror of discovery by the human adults in the house.
The pen-and-ink illustrations by Beth and Joe Krush are lovely, and it's a lot of fun to read Mary Norton's descriptions of how the Borrowers use their borrowings. And best of all, the book--first in a series--leaves the reader satisfied enough to walk away but with enough unanswered questions to make it worth it to come back for more.
(By the way, I tried the experiment with Giggle, Giggle, Quack. Not as funny as Click, Clack, Moo. It made me smile, though, at the library where I read it. Isaiah was unamused...but this blog is about adults anyway, right?)
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