How I Hunted the Little Fellows

Eight-year-old Boris is sent to visit his grandmother for some months in turn-of-the-century Russia. Lonely and desperate for playmates, he has to make do with the kindly old lady and his own imagination. He is intrigued by a realistic replica of a sailing ship which is stored high on a shelf in her kitchen. This is the only ojbect in her humble cottage which she will refuses to let him play with, so naturally it acquires additional charm--the attraction of the Forbidden. But the young boy has a mind of his own, capable of reasoning like an adult. Convinced that the ship actually is housing tiny, living beings, he becomes a master of deception and cunning as he plots how to catch them. He lies to granny and sneaks the tantalizing ship down in her absence. Proving the existence of the little fellows (and capturing one alive for public display) become his obsession. Which leads to inevitable disaster. So, are they real or merely the result of an over-active imagination? This is an excellent short book to read aloud; be sure to take a vote on this burning question, before revealing the climax. Although I was dissatisfied with the ending, I was spellbound throughout--I only regret that I can read it for the first time but once! I believe this book was based on some incident in the author's childhood and that the manuscript was found by accident. Wonderful pen and ink sketches by Paul O. Zelinsky make this gem a literary conspiracy of Russian Z's! Excellent Fantasy--or Reality...!