The Littles

John Peterson’s 1967 children’s novel The Littles is a low fantasy that follows the Little family, a family of small, human-like creatures. They secretly live in the walls of a regular-sized home that is inhabited by the Bigg family. The Littles is the first book in The Littles series, establishing the main characters, the world they live in, and their family dynamic. It explores themes of community, environmental awareness, and resourcefulness as it follows the Little family through several conflicts with the house’s new inhabitants.

This study guide follows the 2019 Scholastic paperback printing of the book.

Plot Summary

The Littles are tiny, human-like creatures that have furry tails. They secretly live within the walls of a home belonging to regular-sized people called the Bigg family. The Little family consists of Granny Little, Uncle Pete, Mr. and Mrs. Little, and their children, Tom and Lucy. They get all their food and supplies from the Biggs. In return, the Littles secretly perform necessary repairs to the Biggs’ home.

When the Bigg family goes on vacation for three months, they rent their house out to a couple called the Newcombs. Mr. Little and Tom overhear Mr. Newcomb telling Mrs. Newcomb that he intends to do no chores during their vacation, and he suggests she do the same. They keep their word, and the house is soon a mess and is overrun by trash, which Mr. Newcomb refuses to take out. Granny Little worries there will be mice, and soon enough, mice arrive. The Littles are terrified of mice since they can be hunted and eaten by the rodents. Mr. Little warns the family members that they must never go out alone or unarmed.

Uncle Pete teaches Tom and Lucy to shoot a bow and arrow. He thinks they should be proactive and hunt down the mice, but Mr. Little hopes the Newcombs will notice the mice soon and put out traps. However, for a whole week, the Newcombs remain ignorant of the mice. Meanwhile, on separate occasions, Mr. Little and Tom and Uncle Pete and Lucy run into vicious mice. They fight back with weapons and matches, and they barely escape with their lives.

Tom proposes his idea to get the Newcombs to recognize the mouse problem: He plans to dress up as a mouse and run in front of Mrs. Newcomb. Although it’s dangerous, as no Little has ever been seen by a big person before, the family agrees it’s a good plan. Granny Little makes the costume, and Mrs. Little smooths Tom’s tail so it looks more like a mouse’s. Mr. Little escorts Tom to the kitchen, and Tom runs between Mrs. Newcomb’s feet, successfully scaring her. Mrs. Newcomb demands that her husband put out traps to take care of the mice.

The following morning, Tom and Uncle Pete fail to return from their kitchen patrol, and the rest of the Littles begin to worry. Mr. Little ventures out alone to search for them. Lucy worries about her father’s safety, so she grabs her weapon and goes after him. She arrives just in time to see a cat leap out at her father. Although cats are her greatest fear, Lucy acts quickly to stab the cat in the tail, scaring it away and saving her father. Uncle Pete and Tom emerge as well, saying the cat had previously cornered them in the fireplace.

Back home, the Littles decide to get the cat in trouble with the Newcombs, hoping they will get rid of it. The Littles destroy the curtains, overturn the cat’s bowls, and make yowling sounds at night. Still, Mrs. Newcomb refuses to get rid of the cat, afraid that the mice will return. Tom comes up with a new plan: He wants to try taming the cat. He argues that big humans have a peaceful relationship with cats, so little humans can, too. Uncle Pete is against the idea, believing that cats are dangerous beasts, but the rest of the family supports Tom.

The Littles take a ball of yarn from Mrs. Bigg’s knitting basket and roll it toward the cat as a peace offering. The cat positions herself to attack the Littles until Tom starts talking to her. The cat realizes Tom is a small person and begins to purr. The Littles quickly tame and befriend the cat. Tom and the cat grow so close that Tom climbs on her and rides her around. When the Newcombs leave, the cat hides so she can stay behind with the Littles. When the Biggs return, Mr. Bigg indicates that he wants to get rid of the cat, but Tom believes he can come up with a plan to prevent that from happening.