The Littles — Chapter 1

About This Passage

This passage is worth copying because of how John Peterson uses a three-sentence rhythm to introduce a fantastic premise as if it were ordinary. The first sentence normalizes ('looked almost like people'). The second sentence qualifies ('very much smaller'). The third sentence delivers the specific fact ('six inches tall'). The technique is to sneak up on the reader — by the time the reader hears the actual size, they have already accepted that the Littles are almost like regular people. Normalizing the fantastic is one of the oldest moves in children's literature, and Peterson is using it to make the reader feel at home in an impossible world.

Narration Prompt

Retell the chapter, paying special attention to how the author explains the Littles' small size. What technique does Peterson use to make the size feel real rather than just a number?

Discussion Questions

1. The chapter introduces the Little family as a completely normal family — they have children (Tom, 10, and Lucy, 8), a granny who knits, an uncle with a cane. The only thing strange about them is their size. Why does Peterson make their family life so ordinary? What does this ordinary-family-in-extraordinary-circumstances setup accomplish for the reader?
2. Peterson tells us that the Littles have tails and that this is the one way they do NOT look like regular people. Why does Peterson include this single odd detail? Why not make them look completely human, or completely different? What is the tail doing in this book?

+ 3 more questions in the complete study guide