The Complete Borrowers (A Puffin Book)

I bought this book to read to my 7 year old daugther as her bedtime story having loved them as a child myself. My initial idea was that I would read one book at a time and read something else in between. No way! We got to the end of book one and book two was demanded immediately and then book three which we are now halfway through.These books are just right for the readership they are aimed at. Well paced, with small people taking on the big people world, suffering difficulties, living through dangers and taking a realistic view as to their ability to control their own destinies. Any child would identify with this. The volume is also well illustrated with one or two black and white drawings per chapter which my daugther loves. The chapter lengths are also good for the age group and for use as a bedtime book. (It is worth noting that, to my mind, books 2 onwards actually become more and more child friendly as though the author was developing her style as she wrote them.)I wanted a book that would help my daugther develop her vocabulary and to learn to enjoy the use of words. Compared with more recently written children's books there is a far richer range of words used. OK, a few (very few) of the words used in the stories are a little old fashioned but turning looking them up into a game that is part of the fun soon solves that (and I now know the difference between wainscot and skirting board so I'm learning too!)The books have become a firm favourite and bedtime stories are a pleasure for both of us.

Loved 'The Borrowers' as kid - loving the stories again as an adult. It's only when you are much older that you appreciate the beauty of the writing and the subtlety of the characterisation. There are some sly digs at the societal norms of the time - Arrietty is a very modern girl whose curiosity about the world is just as relevant now as when she first appeared in the stories. A nostalgic evocation of a middle class childhood from more than a century ago. Having all of the books in one huge paperback for less than a tenner is the icing on the cake.

One of my favourite childhood stories which I wanted to revisit.Great story, well written, gorgeous illustrations.

I absolutely love The Borrowers. My only issue is the size of this book, not comfortable to hold at all.

I was delighted another generation of my family has taken this classic children's book to heart. This volume has all of the Borrowers stories, so a good value purchase. Hoping the granddaughters lend me the book so I can read one of the stories I missed as a child!

Really lovely book- both my 8 year old and 4 year old are enjoying it- and good value for 6 books!I am reading aloud - probably great for children to read in their own from age 8-9 due to quite a lot of vocabulary from the past (mainly items you’d find in old houses - so easy enough for kids to skip over or look up without losing enjoyment from the narrative).

Lovely edition to the library!

Great book