49 pages • 1 hour read
E. B. WhiteStuart Little
Fiction | Novel | Middle Grade | Published in 1945A modern alternative to SparkNotes and CliffsNotes, SuperSummary offers high-quality Study Guides with detailed chapter summaries and analysis of major themes, characters, and more.
Further Reading & Resources
Further Reading: Stories About Small Animals
“The Town Mouse and The Country Mouse” in Aesop’s Fables (date unknown)
This is the tale of two cousins who each thinks their own world is best. Aesop’s fables contain many stories featuring mice.
The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Graham (1908)
This is a tale about the lives of small, anthropomorphized animals. Among other things, it explores the same call of wildness and adventure that moves Margalo and Stuart.
This book tells the story of Wilbur the pig, the runt of the litter, and his friend Charlotte the spider. Charlotte’s Web was made into an animated film in 1973.
- Charlotte’s Web on SuperSummary
The Cricket in Times Square by George Selden (1960)
Tucker the mouse and his friend Harry the cat meet Chester the cricket, who has unexpectedly found himself in New York City. Stuart Little is similarly set largely in New York City.
- The Cricket in Times Square on SuperSummary
The Mouse and the Motorcycle by Beverly Cleary (1965)
This is the first of a series about Ralph the mouse and his motorcycle. Stuart similarly rides many vehicles in his journey, and even acquires his own (model) car.
The Trumpet of the Swan by E. B. White (1970)
The Trumpet of the Swan is the story of Louis, a trumpeter swan who was born mute, and his human friend Sam. Louis acquires a trumpet and learns to play it to impress a female swan named Serena.
Abel’s Island by William Steig (1976)
The story of a mouse swept away in a flood who survives mostly alone on an island until he is able to return home to his wife. It was made into an Emmy Award-winning animated film in 1988.
Further Reading: Stories About Being Small in a Large World
The History of Tom Thumb by Richard Johnson (1621)
The first published account of the English folk figure Tom Thumb, who was born no bigger than his father’s thumb. Tom is the hero of many adventures, at least half of which involve being eaten or nearly eaten.
Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathan Swift (1726)
This is the story of a ship’s physician who travels to several countries, including one in which the people are not much larger than mice and he is a giant, and another where the inhabitants are all giants, and he is the size of a mouse.
- Gulliver’s Travels on SuperSummary
The Borrowers by Mary Norton (1952)
This series recounts the adventures of a family of tiny people who live in the walls and under the floors of houses. They are responsible for the inexplicable disappearance of little objects around the house. The family has many adventures depicting the struggle of tiny people making their way in the world.
- The Borrowers on SuperSummary
The Littles by John Peterson (1967)
The first of a series of books similar to The Borrowers, The Littles is about a family of tiny people who live in the walls of houses. Like Stuart, the Littles have mouselike features. The series extended to 14 books by John Peterson and 11 by other authors. The books were also adapted into an animated Saturday morning television series and an animated feature film. Several of the stories were adapted for younger readers in a Littles First Readers series.
Further Reading: Nonfiction
Here Is New York by E. B. White (1949)
Although the writer of several popular children’s books, E. B. White was also an essayist, humorist, and journalist. He wrote articles and editorials for the New York Times, the United Press, the Seattle Times, and Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Here Is New York is a description of the life and spirit of New York city in the 1940s. This is the initial setting for Stuart Little.
The Elements of Style by E. B. White and William Strunk Jr. (1959)
This brief book on the basics of clear writing is still considered essential reading in many composition and journalism courses.
Related Titles
By E. B. White
