If there was one fantastical thought I hung onto when I was younger it was the idea that miniature people actually existed. Even my imaginary friend was a teeny tiny person. I was so desperate for it to be true I convinced myself that it was completely real. Of course it was, in some part, due to the magical characters I found on the book shelf.
Here are a few culprits responsible for my distraction. And a few up to date ones thrown into the mix who I hope are having the very same effect on the REAL small people of today. Long live the little people!
1. The Borrowers by Mary Norton
When it comes to the world of small people, Mary Norton’s The Borrowers are the A-list celebrities. The legendary Clock family live beneath the floorboards and are best known for their resourceful nature when it comes to re-using the “borrowed” odds and ends that belong to the “human beans” above. Whether it’s papering their bedroom walls with stamps, or making themselves at home inside an old boot, they are, every inch, the original recyclers.
2. Old Mrs Pepperpot by Alf Proysen
If there is one collection of stories I remember more than any other from my childhood, it’s Alf Proysen’s Old Mrs Pepperpot stories. Known as Mrs Teaspoon in her native Norway, Mrs Pepperpot is taken by surprise as she suddenly shrinks without warning and has to cope with the rest of her day in miniature until, in the end, she grows back again. Hugely memorable fun.
3. Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift
When travel fanatic Lemuel Gulliver is shipwrecked on the island of Lilliput, its tiny inhabitants restrain him and keep him prisoner until he can convince them he means no harm. When he eventually gets to Brobdingnag he finds the table turned. He is confronted by giants and ends up living life as a local exhibit and curiosity. Taken lightly, Gulliver’s Travels is a humorous study of the human race from an obscure angle and remarkably, since its publication in 1726, it has never been out of print.
4. Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland by Lewis Carroll
Well, seeing as she celebrates 150 years in publication, how could we not include her. Food and drink is the clue to Alice’s continuing change in scale as she romps through the weird and wonderful world of Wonderland at varying sizes. All that stretching and shrinking must be exhausting!
5. Toby Alone by Timothy De Fombelle
At only one and a half millimetres high, Timothy De Fombelle’s Toby must be the smallest literary hero in history. Living in a world that exists inside an oak tree, he must fight to save it from destruction. A tiny character with a big message and a reminder to us all to treat our own “real” world with the respect it deserves.
6. The Little Grey Men by Denys Watkins–Pitchford
The little grey men are the last four gnomes in Britain. Living happily on the banks of the river, they enjoy the best of country life. That is, until one of them decides to “up and off” and the remaining three make the journey to find him. A celebration of the beautiful English landscape, uniquely experienced at ground level.
7. The Indian in the Cupboard by Lynne Reid Banks
Omri’s birthday presents seem unremarkable. They include an old cupboard and a plastic figure of an Indian man named Little Bear. But when Omri puts the figure inside and uses an enchanted key to lock the cupboard door, Little Bear is brought magically to life. A dream come true for any boy, but being in charge of a miniature human being soon turns out to be no small matter.
8. The Little Gardener by Emily Hughes
The Little Gardener can always be found among the plants where he works day and night to keep the world around him alive. But he is just too small to keep on top and the task becomes impossible. The only thing he has left is hope. Simply realised and beautifully imagined by Emily Hughes.
9. Catkin by Antonia Barber (illustrated by PJ Lynch)
Catkin is the young feline sent to look after Carrie, a human child. But while Catkin is distracted, the child is taken by the “Little People”. Unaware that they are doing anything wrong, they keep her hidden away and Catkin must find her soon. A modern fairy tale notable for its beautiful artwork, granting PJ Lynch a Greenaway shortlisting in 1994.
10. Tom Thumb (Folk tale)
An English tale passed on through the ages about a boy who is as small as his title suggests. A farmer and his wife long for a child of their own and when a conjurer overhears them talking he grants their wish and they become the proud parents of a tiny boy. But the world is a dangerous place when you’re only half an inch tall. Being almost eaten and picked up by a bird are only the beginning of a lifetime of adventures.
Chris Mould is the author of Pocket Pirates: The Great Cheese Robbery. Buy it at the Guardian bookshop.