We were waiting to start the next Little House book, By the Shores of Silver Lake, until school started, because we could get it out of the library there. Since then, we've been reading it. And tonight, we had a marathon reading session to finish it - reading about 80 pages in one sitting! It was worth it.
The Story: This one starts with a bit of tragedy, I'm warning you. Illness has visited the Ingalls. They all had Scarlett Fever. Most of them came out of it ok, but weakened. But Mary was struck blind. Those of us who had seen the television series knew this was coming, but it was still sad. And then, to top it all off, the faithful dog, Jack, who had been with them all the way from the Big Woods, died. Amidst all of this, the Ingalls decided to move again. After the grasshoppers ravaged their place near Plum Creek, they just couldn't recover well enough. And, there were homesteads to be claimed further west, and good work preparing for the railroad to come through. So, off they went - this time by train! There is no shortage of adventure and historical learning to be had in their journey and their adventure in setting up their new homestead in the brand new town of Desmet in the Dakota Territory.
The Good: There was lots of great moments to explain some historical facts to the girl while I read - homestead claims, claim jumpers, the process of preparing to build a railroad, and generally how people survived in that time. The fact of Mary's blindness is not dwelled upon. It's just another part of life, and one that they learned to deal with. Laura is growing up, and is still spunky, but is showing growth and maturity.
The Bad: The part explaining the railroad grading and preparation got kind of tedious and long (for me to read), but the girl didn't complain about it. The part where Jack died was terribly sad. We both cried together about it.
The Verdict: Another chapter in the story of Laura and her family, this one is another winner, even with the sad bits. Amazon recommends the book for ages 9-12, and I think that if she were reading it on her own, that might be more appropriate, but she liked it all the same at age 7 1/2, and got a lot out of it. It turns out that her first unit in school this year is on early American history, so it's a great time to be reading this series! We absolutely are looking forward to reading the next one.
Sunday, September 19, 2010
Wednesday, August 25, 2010
On the Banks of Plum Creek
We are really loving the Little House series, and On the Banks of Plum Creek was no exception!
The Story: After Laura and her family had to leave their house in Kansas, they made their way North, to Minnesota. There, they first moved into a dugout house, and eventually built a wonderful new house on the Minnesota prairie. Laura and Mary began going to school, and they were finally close enough to a town to go to church and Sunday school. They face hardships (like grasshopper swarms and seemingly endless blizzards), but it's all part of getting used to their new home.
The Good: As with all of the other books, this book teaches some fantastic history in a fun way. We really got some basis in what life was like for the settlers, and how different it was - Laura and Mary walked 2 1/2 miles by themselves to school, following only wagon ruts. They are something like 8 and 10 years old (maybe younger) at the end of the book, and are left at home for a day to take care of Carrie. The amount of responsibility they have is astounding and somber. I used it as a learning experience more than once. We did a lot of talking about the history and the way they lived. We visited a couple historical places in our area to see some more about it. This book (and the series) just makes learning about history effortless. The people are easy to relate to, and it was exciting and fun to read.
The Bad: There are some slightly scary parts. There's a plague of grasshoppers which moves in and destroys everything. The winter brings blizzard after blizzard after blizzard. Then, of course, there's Nellie Olson. She's such a bully, she serves a good example of how not to behave, that's for sure. Not much bad, in my opinion. Just good life lessons.
The Verdict: This book brings the reader to the place we know from the television series. The way that it brings early American history into focus is wonderful, because it doesn't lecture or beat anything into the reader. It just makes it a great story that you want to know more about. We highly recommend it.
The Story: After Laura and her family had to leave their house in Kansas, they made their way North, to Minnesota. There, they first moved into a dugout house, and eventually built a wonderful new house on the Minnesota prairie. Laura and Mary began going to school, and they were finally close enough to a town to go to church and Sunday school. They face hardships (like grasshopper swarms and seemingly endless blizzards), but it's all part of getting used to their new home.
The Good: As with all of the other books, this book teaches some fantastic history in a fun way. We really got some basis in what life was like for the settlers, and how different it was - Laura and Mary walked 2 1/2 miles by themselves to school, following only wagon ruts. They are something like 8 and 10 years old (maybe younger) at the end of the book, and are left at home for a day to take care of Carrie. The amount of responsibility they have is astounding and somber. I used it as a learning experience more than once. We did a lot of talking about the history and the way they lived. We visited a couple historical places in our area to see some more about it. This book (and the series) just makes learning about history effortless. The people are easy to relate to, and it was exciting and fun to read.
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| Evalina and a friend at a one-room schoolhouse at a local museum. |
The Bad: There are some slightly scary parts. There's a plague of grasshoppers which moves in and destroys everything. The winter brings blizzard after blizzard after blizzard. Then, of course, there's Nellie Olson. She's such a bully, she serves a good example of how not to behave, that's for sure. Not much bad, in my opinion. Just good life lessons.
The Verdict: This book brings the reader to the place we know from the television series. The way that it brings early American history into focus is wonderful, because it doesn't lecture or beat anything into the reader. It just makes it a great story that you want to know more about. We highly recommend it.
Sunday, July 25, 2010
Little House on the Prairie
We just read Little House on the Prairie, the third book in the Little House Series. We got it out of the library, and I am trying to bust through them to get the series read before school starts again.. we'll see if we make that goal, but this one only took about a week! Super fun.
The Story: Laura's family decided to leave their little house in the big woods, and set out across the countryside in their covered wagon, to settle in the prairie in Kansas. Pa built a new log cabin for them there, and they set up their new home. There were challenges, not the least of which was the fact that their new home was in the middle of Indian territory..
The Good: Wonderful historic detail! The ins and outs of building a log cabin, complete with chimney and fireplace, forging a homestead in the middle of the wild prairie, traveling cross-country by covered wagon, American Indian-settler relations... there was a lot to learn here, and it was learned in wonderful ways. As a character, Laura is very easy for Evalina to relate to. I asked her what her favorite part of the book was, and she said "Laura!" There were a lot of teaching moments - especially about American Indians. She hasn't really learned much about native Americans in school yet, so it was good to learn a bit here. The story is compelling and very well written.
The Bad: Right in the beginning, there was a near tragedy, and the outlook didn't look so good for a bit (I will not spoil it here), and there were tears. There are some tense moments - a prairie fire, a bout of malaria, scary moments with the Indians... but, nothing enough to make me not want to read these books to her!
The Verdict: Love it. Evalina loved it. We learned a lot (yes, I learned some, too!) and can't wait to read more of the books. We plan to make some trips to local places this summer to reinforce some of the learning - I think there is a working farm in the area where she can learn about milking cows and such. And there's a log cabin in the area as well that we want to go check out. Totally classics, that I think would be fun for a boy or a girl. It might be better for a slightly older child, with a little more historical background, but it wasn't too far over her head. I can't wait until we are all done reading the books, and then I want to get the television series for the kids to watch. I cannot believe I never read these books myself. That's one great thing about reading to your kids - you get to read some of the books you always meant to read as a child but never got around to! The fun is never ending!
The Story: Laura's family decided to leave their little house in the big woods, and set out across the countryside in their covered wagon, to settle in the prairie in Kansas. Pa built a new log cabin for them there, and they set up their new home. There were challenges, not the least of which was the fact that their new home was in the middle of Indian territory..
The Good: Wonderful historic detail! The ins and outs of building a log cabin, complete with chimney and fireplace, forging a homestead in the middle of the wild prairie, traveling cross-country by covered wagon, American Indian-settler relations... there was a lot to learn here, and it was learned in wonderful ways. As a character, Laura is very easy for Evalina to relate to. I asked her what her favorite part of the book was, and she said "Laura!" There were a lot of teaching moments - especially about American Indians. She hasn't really learned much about native Americans in school yet, so it was good to learn a bit here. The story is compelling and very well written.
The Bad: Right in the beginning, there was a near tragedy, and the outlook didn't look so good for a bit (I will not spoil it here), and there were tears. There are some tense moments - a prairie fire, a bout of malaria, scary moments with the Indians... but, nothing enough to make me not want to read these books to her!
The Verdict: Love it. Evalina loved it. We learned a lot (yes, I learned some, too!) and can't wait to read more of the books. We plan to make some trips to local places this summer to reinforce some of the learning - I think there is a working farm in the area where she can learn about milking cows and such. And there's a log cabin in the area as well that we want to go check out. Totally classics, that I think would be fun for a boy or a girl. It might be better for a slightly older child, with a little more historical background, but it wasn't too far over her head. I can't wait until we are all done reading the books, and then I want to get the television series for the kids to watch. I cannot believe I never read these books myself. That's one great thing about reading to your kids - you get to read some of the books you always meant to read as a child but never got around to! The fun is never ending!
Wednesday, July 14, 2010
Farmer Boy
It took us a while to get through Farmer Boy, the second book in the Little House Series. It was long, and dense, and Evalina was reading other books at the same time, sometimes with her father (they are re-reading Narnia together. He's never read them).
That doesn't mean we didn't love it!
The Story: This is the story of Almanzo Wilder's childhood, in upstate New York, near Malone, when he was 9-10 years old. It went into a lot of detail about what life on the farm was like. Almanzo is the youngest of four children, and his family runs a very successful farm. His father is a very smart and capable farmer, and wants to raise Almanzo to be a good farmer, too. Almanzo wants the same thing. He learns all of the tricks of the trade, and works very very hard. It's a very educational book in that regard.
The Good: There was lots of information about what it was like to grow up on a farm in the 19th century. Almanzo as a character was really likable, and he felt very real (I know, based on a true story, so...) The level of detail was amazing. We have an illustrated version, so there were some pictures to show Evalina what certain things were. She really enjoyed the story.
The Bad: I have never read these books before, but it felt out of flow with the story of Laura and her family. I enjoyed reading about Almanzo's childhood, but I missed the people from the first book. I had to do some explaining about the "children not speaking until they are spoken to," and some other bits.. for instance, when Almanzo's parents left them for a week in charge of themselves and the farm and they did a lot of making ice cream and toffee and not a lot of anything else until it was right before their parents came home... I suppose that was the Risky Business of the era. Of course some of the parenting skills since then have changed, and there were some tanning of hides, etc, that I had to explain. Still, I think it is good for her to know about.
The Verdict: Good book, with a lot of historical background and some good characters that I know we will read about later on in the series. Almanzo's growth throughout the book was palpable. He matured a lot in the year or so that the book covered, and it was very interesting to see. I kind of wanted to get back to the "main" story, though, with Laura's family and the story I am more familiar with because of the tv show. As part of the series, a good part. Somehow, I don't think it will be my favorite of the series.
That doesn't mean we didn't love it!
The Story: This is the story of Almanzo Wilder's childhood, in upstate New York, near Malone, when he was 9-10 years old. It went into a lot of detail about what life on the farm was like. Almanzo is the youngest of four children, and his family runs a very successful farm. His father is a very smart and capable farmer, and wants to raise Almanzo to be a good farmer, too. Almanzo wants the same thing. He learns all of the tricks of the trade, and works very very hard. It's a very educational book in that regard.
The Good: There was lots of information about what it was like to grow up on a farm in the 19th century. Almanzo as a character was really likable, and he felt very real (I know, based on a true story, so...) The level of detail was amazing. We have an illustrated version, so there were some pictures to show Evalina what certain things were. She really enjoyed the story.
The Bad: I have never read these books before, but it felt out of flow with the story of Laura and her family. I enjoyed reading about Almanzo's childhood, but I missed the people from the first book. I had to do some explaining about the "children not speaking until they are spoken to," and some other bits.. for instance, when Almanzo's parents left them for a week in charge of themselves and the farm and they did a lot of making ice cream and toffee and not a lot of anything else until it was right before their parents came home... I suppose that was the Risky Business of the era. Of course some of the parenting skills since then have changed, and there were some tanning of hides, etc, that I had to explain. Still, I think it is good for her to know about.
The Verdict: Good book, with a lot of historical background and some good characters that I know we will read about later on in the series. Almanzo's growth throughout the book was palpable. He matured a lot in the year or so that the book covered, and it was very interesting to see. I kind of wanted to get back to the "main" story, though, with Laura's family and the story I am more familiar with because of the tv show. As part of the series, a good part. Somehow, I don't think it will be my favorite of the series.
Saturday, May 22, 2010
Karlson on the Roof
One of our good friends brought over her childhood copy of Astrid Lindgren's Karlson on the Roof, and spent many months reading a chapter every time she came over, until finally it was done. What a delightful story! Of course, it would have been better if we had been able to read it all at once, but as it was, it was a special time with Evalina and our friend.
The Story: Midge (it seems like in later versions, his name is translated to Smidge... or maybe our friend's copy was just the British version... I will use Midge, because that was his name in our book) is alone in his bedroom, when he is astounded and delighted to see a little man hovering outside of the window! This is his introduction to Karlson on the Roof, the world's best trickster, the world's best babysitter, the world's best dog owner, the world's best crook chaser, and the world's most interesting friend. Karlson has a propeller and can fly, and he lives (you guessed it) on the roof. He leads Midge on some wonderful adventures, some downright naughty, and they have a wonderful time. The trouble is, no one else in Midge's family believes that Karlson exists, because he always flies away at the moment before they are going to meet him. But Karlson isn't just an imaginary friend, he's real. By the end of the story, he makes sure that everyone knows he's there.
The Good: It's Astrid Lindgren, and she is always a winner. Her writing is clever and witty and funny. Karlson left us all giggling at his antics many times. Midge is a sweet kid, and all he wants is a dog of his own, and of course, to have fun with Karlson. The minor characters are funny, too. Evalina remembered a lot of details from early in the book that I was sure she might have forgotten, since it took so long for our friend to read it with her. I always like that.
The Bad: Karlson is really really naughty and he eggs Midge on to do naughty things, as well. I think it is written in such a way that it is obvious to children that Karlson is not someone to be emulated.
The Verdict: I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and Evalina did, too. It is 176 pages long, so it isn't a behemoth. That's nice. I would say that it's not as clever or fun as Pippi, but it was enjoyable. A great read for any Astrid Lindgren fan.
The Story: Midge (it seems like in later versions, his name is translated to Smidge... or maybe our friend's copy was just the British version... I will use Midge, because that was his name in our book) is alone in his bedroom, when he is astounded and delighted to see a little man hovering outside of the window! This is his introduction to Karlson on the Roof, the world's best trickster, the world's best babysitter, the world's best dog owner, the world's best crook chaser, and the world's most interesting friend. Karlson has a propeller and can fly, and he lives (you guessed it) on the roof. He leads Midge on some wonderful adventures, some downright naughty, and they have a wonderful time. The trouble is, no one else in Midge's family believes that Karlson exists, because he always flies away at the moment before they are going to meet him. But Karlson isn't just an imaginary friend, he's real. By the end of the story, he makes sure that everyone knows he's there.
The Good: It's Astrid Lindgren, and she is always a winner. Her writing is clever and witty and funny. Karlson left us all giggling at his antics many times. Midge is a sweet kid, and all he wants is a dog of his own, and of course, to have fun with Karlson. The minor characters are funny, too. Evalina remembered a lot of details from early in the book that I was sure she might have forgotten, since it took so long for our friend to read it with her. I always like that.
The Bad: Karlson is really really naughty and he eggs Midge on to do naughty things, as well. I think it is written in such a way that it is obvious to children that Karlson is not someone to be emulated.
The Verdict: I thoroughly enjoyed the book, and Evalina did, too. It is 176 pages long, so it isn't a behemoth. That's nice. I would say that it's not as clever or fun as Pippi, but it was enjoyable. A great read for any Astrid Lindgren fan.
Little House in the Big Woods
Some of Evalina's good friends got her the first two books in the Little House series for her birthday. We just finished the first one - Little House in the Big Woods. I watched the Little House on the Prairie show as a child, but never got around to reading the books, so I'm enjoying this quite a lot as well!
The Story: Laura Ingalls is the young daughter of a pioneer family. She lives with her parents, her older sister Mary, and her baby sister Carrie, in a (you guessed it) little house in the big woods in Wisconsin. She had never been to a town. She has no concept of neighbors like we do. The story of this book lays some great historical basis about what everyday family life was like, how they worked to make and catch their food, and more.
The Good: The detail is fantastic. I want to make butter and cheese and Johnycakes and tap trees and make maple syrup and maple sugar. Laura and her family are written vibrantly (not surprising, since they were real people), and I think it got Evalina more interested in history. Really thinking about what it was like before there were cars and electricity and 24-hour grocery stores was a very positive thing. We take so much for granted.
The Bad: Some of the things portrayed are a little raw for a sensitive modern kid. Still, it's good for her to know about them. She was alarmed by all the hunting (even though her daddy hunts), and some other things led us to some very frank discussions. The fact that Pa smoked a pipe was a problem for her, but I explained that they had no idea that tobacco was bad for you, so many people smoked. Good history lessons all around, so these things are not really "bad."
The Verdict: Wonderful, and we can't wait to read the next one! I truly enjoyed it, and want to try some of the "pioneer" recipes and crafts. When we get to the Little House on the Prairie, I'm looking forward to sharing the television series with Evalina. The book is 238 pages long and recommended for ages 8-12, and I would agree with that. Evalina's 7, but a very advanced reader, so it was no trouble for her. (We did read it together - she read a couple paragraphs per page) I would recommend this series to anyone. As you can see with our reading history, most of what we have read is fantastical, and I am thrilled to be reading something more historical, to get some enthusiasm for that into her. Next!
The Story: Laura Ingalls is the young daughter of a pioneer family. She lives with her parents, her older sister Mary, and her baby sister Carrie, in a (you guessed it) little house in the big woods in Wisconsin. She had never been to a town. She has no concept of neighbors like we do. The story of this book lays some great historical basis about what everyday family life was like, how they worked to make and catch their food, and more.
The Good: The detail is fantastic. I want to make butter and cheese and Johnycakes and tap trees and make maple syrup and maple sugar. Laura and her family are written vibrantly (not surprising, since they were real people), and I think it got Evalina more interested in history. Really thinking about what it was like before there were cars and electricity and 24-hour grocery stores was a very positive thing. We take so much for granted.
The Bad: Some of the things portrayed are a little raw for a sensitive modern kid. Still, it's good for her to know about them. She was alarmed by all the hunting (even though her daddy hunts), and some other things led us to some very frank discussions. The fact that Pa smoked a pipe was a problem for her, but I explained that they had no idea that tobacco was bad for you, so many people smoked. Good history lessons all around, so these things are not really "bad."
The Verdict: Wonderful, and we can't wait to read the next one! I truly enjoyed it, and want to try some of the "pioneer" recipes and crafts. When we get to the Little House on the Prairie, I'm looking forward to sharing the television series with Evalina. The book is 238 pages long and recommended for ages 8-12, and I would agree with that. Evalina's 7, but a very advanced reader, so it was no trouble for her. (We did read it together - she read a couple paragraphs per page) I would recommend this series to anyone. As you can see with our reading history, most of what we have read is fantastical, and I am thrilled to be reading something more historical, to get some enthusiasm for that into her. Next!
Saturday, April 24, 2010
The Cricket in Times Square
I loved The Cricket in Times Square when I was a child, and I was therefore very excited to read it to Evalina. It was just as charming as I remembered it to be!
The Story: Chester is a cricket, who was carried in a pile of newspaper from his pastoral home in Connecticut. He ended up in Times Square, and was taken in by a boy who's family runs a struggling newsstand. Chester befriends Tucker the Mouse and Harry the Cat, and learns that he has a unique and wonderful musical ability. He can chirp the tune to any number of songs, perfectly. His talent does not go unnoticed by the humans in Times Square, and soon, Chester becomes a celebrity, putting on two concerts daily. But, is he really happy?
The Good: There are some wonderful friendships in this story! Harry and Tucker, Cat and Mouse, are best of friends, even though they ought to be enemies. Chester is accepted by them without a blink of an eye. The boy, Mario, loves Chester with his whole being. There are lots of details about crickets that are written about with joy. There is joy in the music, and might get kids interested in learning more about it.
The Bad: There is a fire at one point in the book, which scared Evalina. Might take some explaining to kids that most crickets, in fact, only chirp their own songs. I really can't think of anything else.
The Verdict: Read this book! It's sweet and fun. There are sequels, too, I believe. Amazon has the recommended ages as 9-12, but Evalina had no troubles with it, at 7. She could easily have read it mostly on her own. It was fun to read a book that we were done with in a week or so, after the ridiculously long Inkheart and Inkspell!
The Story: Chester is a cricket, who was carried in a pile of newspaper from his pastoral home in Connecticut. He ended up in Times Square, and was taken in by a boy who's family runs a struggling newsstand. Chester befriends Tucker the Mouse and Harry the Cat, and learns that he has a unique and wonderful musical ability. He can chirp the tune to any number of songs, perfectly. His talent does not go unnoticed by the humans in Times Square, and soon, Chester becomes a celebrity, putting on two concerts daily. But, is he really happy?
The Good: There are some wonderful friendships in this story! Harry and Tucker, Cat and Mouse, are best of friends, even though they ought to be enemies. Chester is accepted by them without a blink of an eye. The boy, Mario, loves Chester with his whole being. There are lots of details about crickets that are written about with joy. There is joy in the music, and might get kids interested in learning more about it.
The Bad: There is a fire at one point in the book, which scared Evalina. Might take some explaining to kids that most crickets, in fact, only chirp their own songs. I really can't think of anything else.
The Verdict: Read this book! It's sweet and fun. There are sequels, too, I believe. Amazon has the recommended ages as 9-12, but Evalina had no troubles with it, at 7. She could easily have read it mostly on her own. It was fun to read a book that we were done with in a week or so, after the ridiculously long Inkheart and Inkspell!
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