The Littles facts for kids
Cover of The Terrible Tiny Kid
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| Author | John Peterson |
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| Language | English |
| Genre | Fantasy |
| Publisher | Scholastic Publishing |
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Publication date
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4/1/1967 |
| Media type | paperback |
The Littles is a popular series of children's books. They were written by an American author named John Peterson. The very first book came out in 1967.
Years later, these books became an animated TV show. It was also called The Littles. This cartoon aired on ABC on Saturday mornings. It ran from 1983 to 1985. There were three seasons and 29 episodes. In 1985, a movie based on the series was released. It was called Here Come the Littles.
The stories are about a family of tiny people. They are called the Littles. They look a bit like mice with long tails. In the books, they have tails. In the TV show, they also have mouse-like ears and long teeth. They are only about 4 to 6 inches (10 to 15 cm) tall. The Littles are very smart. They live secretly inside a house. This house belongs to a human family called the Biggs. The idea is similar to another book series, The Borrowers.
Contents
Meet the Characters
The Little Family
The Littles are a family of tiny people. They live hidden inside the walls of human houses. The main Little family members are William T. Little and Wilma Little. In the TV show, their names are Frank and Helen. They have two children, Tom and Lucy. Uncle Pete also lives with them. In the TV show, he is called Grandpa Little.
Tom and Lucy Little
Tom and Lucy are the children of the Little family. They often want to help "big people." They once tried to find a Grandma Little for their Grandpa. Sometimes they can cause a little bit of mischief.
Dinky Little
Dinky is an older cousin to Tom and Lucy. He is a pilot. He helps deliver mail and gives rides to other tiny people. In the books, he is a skilled glider pilot. He is also responsible and loves adventure. In the TV show, he flies a propeller plane. He is often clumsy and gets into trouble. These troubles usually make Grandpa Little lose his temper! In the books, Dinky marries Della, who also learns to fly.
Ashley Little
Ashley is a younger cousin of Tom and Lucy. He only appears in seasons two and three of the TV series. Ashley can be a bit of a spoiled brat. He sometimes throws tantrums. He might even mess up what his older cousins are doing. But he usually feels bad if Tom and Lucy get into danger because of him.
Henry Bigg
Henry Bigg is the human boy who lives in the house. The Littles live secretly inside his home. In the books, Henry never finds out about the Littles. But in the cartoon, he is one of the few humans who knows their secret.
In the first TV season, it was not explained how Henry learned about them. The show just started with Henry saying he had a "very special secret." In the second season, the story changed. It said Tom and Lucy fell into Henry's suitcase when he moved. He found them when he opened it. In the final season, Henry traveled the world with his parents. He used a special camera case to carry the Littles with him.
The movie Here Come the Littles also shows Tom and Lucy getting trapped in Henry's suitcase. But Henry doesn't find them right away. He first sees Grandpa and Dinky while mowing his uncle's yard. His uncle takes them away, thinking they are toys. To save Grandpa and Dinky, Tom and Lucy show themselves to Henry. They become friends and ask for his help. Henry works hard to keep the Littles a secret. He even hides them from his own parents.
Slick the Turtle
Slick is Henry's pet turtle. He is often seen with the Littles. When Tom and Lucy need to talk to Henry, they tie messages to Slick's back. Then they send him to Henry. Slick wears roller skates to move faster. But he often slips and slides around in a funny way.
Glory
Glory becomes Tom's friend in one episode. This happens after she saves Tom and Uncle Nick. They were in danger from a haystack fire.
