(Rated: C)
HarperFestival
ISBN: 978-0-06-000046-2
2003 Edition
Softcover, 352 pages
The last time I read this book I was a pre-teen. I remember loving the Little House series as well as the television adaptation, which I saw only in French. My family didn’t have cable when I was a kid, and we caught only four channels in Montreal, two of which were in English but didn’t air the series. I have such fond memories of these stories!
This book was the first I decided to read for the Shelf Discovery Challenge. It is the second book in the Laura Years series. Every night, I read one or two chapters to my 8 year-old daughter. Told in the third person, Laura Ingalls Wilder tells of when Pa Ingalls decides to sell the little log house and the family sets out in a canvas-covered wagon for Indian country in Kansas. Through her story, I rediscovered the simple, united, yet difficult life of the pioneer settlers.
My daughter and I loved reading about how Laura’s family started out from scratch their life in the Prairies. She describes in minute details how her father built a log house with a locking door latch, a hearth, a stable, beds and mattresses, and a rocking chair. It was captivating for my little modern girl and fascinating for me, a city born-and-bred mom. We also learned a lot of new words as Laura’s descriptions of nature and pioneer life is extensive.
This is such a delightful book, wholesome and reminiscent of days when children were superbly obedient, life was simple, and survival dependant on knowledge of nature, quick wits, and life-building skills. I now look forward to sharing more of the Little House series with my daughter.
Disclosure: I bought this book at a used book sale. It was not sent to me for review.
