The Borrowers by Mary Norton

I was drawn to read Norton's classic children's book by the release of the film interpretation 'Arietty' (Studio Ghibli, 2010) and the fear that I would not get the most I could from the film without knowing its precursor (this however was not the case, as I find that the film stands strongly as its own entity). I was completely captured by the details of the miniature world created by Norton, from the recontextualisation of everyday items (safety pins as locks; blotting paper as carpet and shoes made of children's leather gloves) to her representation of an entire 'borrower' culture (the hierarchy and tensions between borrowers who live in different parts of the household was particularly witty "the Overmantels... They lived so high... Your Aunt Lupy... was a Harpsichord by marriage and we all know the airs she gave herself"). I found the book so completely creative and the characters so rich with quirks and individuality, that the book was a total pleasure to read. 

I wondered, if the borrowers were to live in my house I think that they would 'borrow' my brother's lego pieces - perfect for constructing furniture with! (See picture above. I also added some token sugar cubes - see if you can spot five altogether!)