How I Hunted the Little Fellows

by Boris Zhitkov, Paul O. Zelinsky

Fascinated by the life-like miniature of a steamer on his grandmother's shelf, a young boy becomes convinced that there are little people inside and, ignoring the admonition not to touch, decides to find out for himself.

64 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Boris Stepanovich Zhitkov (Russian: Борис Степанович Житков; 11 September 1882 — 19 October 1938) was a Russian author, mainly of children's books.

Zhitkov was born in Novgorod; his father was a mathematics teacher and his mother a pianist. His works include numerous books in which he, in a figurative form, described various professions. His books are based on his rich experience as a sailor, ship captain, scientist, traveler and explorer. Between 1916 and 1924 he was a sailor and, later, a ship's captain. He also worked as a navigator, an ichthyologist, a metal worker, a shipbuilding engineer, a teacher of physics and drafting, and a technical college headmaster.

In 1924 Zhitkov started to be published and soon became a professional writer. He is best known for the hugely successful children's travel book What I Saw (Russian: Что я видел) about the summer vacation adventures of a curious little boy nicknamed Pochemuchka. He was a close friend of Korney Chukovsky.

Zhitkov's 1941 historical novel about the 1905 Revolution, Viktor Vavich (Russian: Виктор Вавич), was immediately destroyed and republished in 1999 only thanks to Lydia Chukovskaya having saved a copy; Boris Pasternak called it "the best thing that has ever been written about 1905; it's shameful that nobody knows this book."

Reviews

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zelinsky's art, as usual, stole the show for me. There's something so timeless about his illustrations.

[Tatiana]

I liked this story in my childhood and now i had a desire to read it, and still enjoyed it
i can see myself in the main character and feel like i'm little girl again

[Gale · Rating 5 out of 5]

"MARITIME MANIA"


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 object in her humble cottage which she will refuse 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!

(May 11, 2011. I welcome dialogue with teachers.)

[Julie Sherwood · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of my all-time favorite books! The tension between doing the right thing that his grandmother expects of him, and his overwhelming curiosity about his grandfather's model ship are so palpable that you can hardly wait to see what he does. And the surprise ending is so open-ended that it could lead to a fabulous discussion (or creative writing assignment for children) about what happens next. I adore this book and wish more people knew about it.