Have one to sell? Sell yours here
Tell the Publisher!
I'd like to read this book on Kindle

Don't have a Kindle? Get your Kindle here, or download a FREE Kindle Reading App.
Sorry, this item is not available in
Image not available for
Color:
Image not available

To view this video download Flash Player

 

The Little House (Sandpiper Books) [Hardcover]

Virginia Lee Burton
4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (109 customer reviews)


Available from these sellers.


Formats

Amazon Price New from Used from
Hardcover $14.80  
Hardcover, April 26, 1978 --  
Paperback $7.19  
Mass Market Paperback --  
Audio, Cassette $6.95  
Board book $2.57  
Audible Audio Edition, Unabridged $0.95 or Free with Audible 30-day free trial
Image
Save on Popular Books This Summer
Browse our Bookshelf Favorites store for big savings on popular fiction, nonfiction, children's books, and more.

Book Description

April 26, 1978 4 - 8 yearsSandpiper Books
The little house first stood in the country, but gradually the city moved closer and closer.


Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

"Once upon a time there was a Little House way out in the country. She was a pretty Little House and she was strong and well built." So begins Virginia Lee Burton's classic The Little House, winner of the prestigious Caldecott Medal in 1943. The rosy-pink Little House, on a hill surrounded by apple trees, watches the days go, by from the first apple blossoms in the spring through the winter snows. Always faintly aware of the city's distant lights, she starts to notice the city encroaching on her bucolic existence. First a road appears, which brings horseless carriages and then trucks and steamrollers. Before long, more roads, bigger homes, apartment buildings, stores, and garages surround the Little House. Her family moves out and she finds herself alone in the middle of the city, where the artificial lights are so bright that the Little House can no longer see the sun or the moon. She often dreams of "the field of daisies and the apple trees dancing in the moonlight." Children will be saddened to see the lonely, claustrophobic, dilapidated house, but when a woman recognizes her and whisks her back to the country where she belongs, they will rejoice. Young readers are more likely to be drawn in by the whimsical, detailed drawings and the happy ending than by anything Burton might have been implying about the troubling effects of urbanization. (Ages 3 to 6) --This text refers to the Paperback edition.

Review

"This engaging picture book clearly presents a wealth of information." Booklist, ALA

Product Details

  • Age Range: 4 - 8 years
  • Hardcover: 44 pages
  • Publisher: Houghton Mifflin Books for Children; later edition, later printing edition (April 26, 1978)
  • Language: English
  • ISBN-10: 0395181569
  • ISBN-13: 978-0395181560
  • Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 0.4 x 10 inches
  • Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces
  • Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (109 customer reviews)
  • Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #355,211 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Virginia Lee Burton was the talented author and illustrator of some of the most enduring books ever written for children. The winner of the 1942 Caldecott Medal for The Little House, Burton's books include heroes and happy endings, lively illustrations, and a dash of nostalgia. She lived with her two sons, Aristides and Michael, and her husband George Demetrios, the sculptor, in a section of Gloucester, Massachusetts, called Folly Cove. Here she taught a class in design and from it emerged the Folly Cove designers, a group of internationally known professional artisans.

Customer Reviews

What a classic, I love this book and will own it for sure. linda  |  36 reviewers made a similar statement
I remember reading this book as a child and it was one of my favorites. Aunt Nancy  |  39 reviewers made a similar statement
A most enjoyable story with a happy ending! Marianne Skiba  |  13 reviewers made a similar statement
Most Helpful Customer Reviews
22 of 22 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars Everything old is new again! December 22, 1998
By A Customer
Format:Paperback
This is one of earliest 'reading' books that I remember from my youth more than 40 years ago, but it still has impact on me now. Its allegorical tale of how a beautiful little house becomes encroached by urban civilization, falls into disrepair and disfavour, and then discovers a new life when a fresh pair of eyes see its intrinsic value is truly a timeless one. When I was young and had it read to me by my father it worked on a simple level, and then 25 years later when I rediscovered it by reading it to my own son, I found it working on another, quite adult level. It is truly a gem of a book with a strong message of values for today, even 50 years after it was written. Beautifully yet simply illustrated. Highly recommended.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
39 of 46 people found the following review helpful
4.0 out of 5 stars Urban sprawl - the picture book October 14, 2004
Format:Hardcover
The year is 1942 and America has fallen head over heels in love with a whole new literary form. It's sweeping the nation! It's appearing hither and yon! Yes, in the early 1940s, picture books were suddenly awash in inanimate objects with human characteristics. Whether it was "The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Grey Bridge", or the Caldecott winning, "The Little House", children were reading about a variety of living breathing pieces of architecture. Virginia Lee Burton was especially good at this kind of book. Her previous venture, "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel", was a smash hit (remaining so today). So Burton decided to up the stakes a little and write a similar story about a little house. In this book, however, Burton outdoes herself by being able to convey seasons, the passage of time, and the nasty ways cities have of encroaching on country landscapes all within a scant 40 pages.

Long ago a little house was built in the country. The man who built her decided that this house, special as it was, could never be bought and sold. Instead, he planned on leaving it to his children, his children's children, and his children's children's children. Etc. The house was pleased with the arrangement. It watched the seasons go by. It watched the children that played in it grow up and move away. It even watched the changing fashions and modes of transportation. Horse and buggies one day, automobiles the next. This is all well and good until a new asphalt road appears. Suddenly it's a heckuva lot easier for people to reach the area in which the little house lives. Things get faster and suddenly the little house is surrounded by tenement houses. Then there are trolley cars (oh the trolley cars).
... Read more ›
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
12 of 12 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars One of the greatest children's books ever written. August 29, 2003
Format:Paperback
As with many of the reviewers here, this was my favorite book as a child, and I consider it to be Virginia Lee Burton's quintessential work. While all her books are wonderful, none have the childlike simplicity and artistry of The Little House.

That this book won the Caldecott Medal is no surprise. The illustrations jump off the page. Each page is meticulously drawn with enough vibrant color and detail to peruse for several minutes. Each of the seasons in the country is vividly pictured. As the city encroaches upon the Little House, the frame changes subtly from page to page to show the slow transition from rural to urban life.

Both of my children (6 and 3 years of age) are captivated by the illustrations and the story. Reading this book aloud to them brings back fond memories of the countless hours I spent engrossed in it as a child. I cannot emphasize enough how wonderful it truly is. Even 60 years after it was written, it still has the power to tug at the heart.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
26 of 30 people found the following review helpful
Format:Paperback
The noted children's book about a house built on a hill away from any town. As the years pass, the city comes closer and closer and eventually surrounds the little house which misses its old hills and trees. One earlier reviewer expressed concern about the apparent anti-urban bias. I think Burton simply had a pro-nature bias rather than anti-urban. And, I think any of us, including those who live in cities or suburbia would not care to live in the sprawl that was depicted in the illustrations and was indeed present in many cities in the 1940s when the book first came out. The book won the 1943 Caldecott Medal for best illustration in a book for children.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
12 of 13 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars An all-time American classic. January 10, 2001
Format:Paperback
This has got to be the best all-round Virginia Lee Burton book, which means it's one of the best children's books of all time. The simple prose reaches a level of lyricism not found in Mike Mulligan, and the illustrations have a folksy charm and energy that's just right. Reading it as an adult, one thinks of all the little houses that were NOT saved, and of the ongoing suburban sprawl that's even now despoiling the landscape, but the fact that the eponymous little house is moved and cared for once again by the end makes it a good story for little kids. Other books by Burton tend to wear me down with repetition, but this one remains fresh with almost every rereading that my kids demand.
Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
13 of 15 people found the following review helpful
5.0 out of 5 stars As timeless as ever-among the finest of all picture books December 19, 2000
Format:Hardcover
Quite simply, this is one of the most beautifully illustrated childrens books of all time. There are no computer graphics, but the simple illustrations have a definite folksy, Americana feel about them. The pages where Burton depicts the changing seasons are gorgeous, and have lost none of their vivacity. I can't imagine not always having a copy of this book around to show my nephews and nieces, and to read to them. It's a keeper, and I will gladly go through tens of copies just to ensure it's always around.

Kids love the book because of the picture, and the great sequencing. I love the book because it's just well written, and I have memories of having it read to me when I was in kindergarten.

This has always been one of my mother's favorite books, and it's also been one of mine as well. I think this book ages rather well, and it's an interesting look at the growth and development of the country. Some may see this book as being "anti-development", but it's hard not to sympathize with the house as the landscape around her changes and becomes less familiar.

My last thought is that I hope when I do have nephews and nieces that there still will be countrysides like the ones depicted in this book.

Comment | 
Was this review helpful to you?
Most Recent Customer Reviews
5.0 out of 5 stars Story Still Resonates
Despite the fact that this book was written in 1942, it still resonates with me. It's such a lovely story about the "big city" growing up around the little house. Read more
Published 14 days ago by Patti Myers Pringle
5.0 out of 5 stars A story of memories and restoration
This was my daughter's favorite book as a child. The story of the little house being consumed by progress and rescued and restored is endearing. Read more
Published 18 days ago by Alyce Vendetti
2.0 out of 5 stars too late
I liked this book as a child so I decided to get it for my niece for her baby shower. Unfortunately it arrived 2 weeks late. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Lisa Crawford-Nusser
5.0 out of 5 stars A favorite from years gone by
Same great story. Same great illustrations. I only wish it was in hardcover. I really only wish I had my original copy from when I was a tot. Read more
Published 1 month ago by A. L. Hall
5.0 out of 5 stars Great classic story
My kids love this book. My son (2) particularly loves the details of the house as it goes from smiling to no so smiling back to smiling. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Herbert
5.0 out of 5 stars A childhood classic
One of my favorites when I was a child, I have my original copy, which I read to my preschoolers. It is now one of their favorites. Read more
Published 1 month ago by Animalhouse
4.0 out of 5 stars great story
i remember reading this when I was little and was so excited to find it for my little one. is a sweet timeless story.
Published 1 month ago by K. H.
5.0 out of 5 stars Adorable and interesting book!
I remembered this book from my childhood, I read it to my kids and I'll read it to my grandkids. It has lovely, entertaining pictures and a compelling story, for kids or the... Read more
Published 2 months ago by Randee Baty
5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful Book
A classic children's book...My Mom read it to me...I read it to my sons...Soon I will read it to my Twin Grandchildren... Read more
Published 2 months ago by D. Washinsky
5.0 out of 5 stars I want everyone to read this book
This is a great example of inspiration. Many first and second generation Americans learned about American culture from this book.
Published 3 months ago by L. Lindisch
Search Customer Reviews
Only search this product's reviews

What Other Items Do Customers Buy After Viewing This Item?


Sell a Digital Version of This Book in the Kindle Store

If you are a publisher or author and hold the digital rights to a book, you can sell a digital version of it in our Kindle Store. Learn more

Forums

There are no discussions about this product yet.
Be the first to discuss this product with the community.
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 



So You'd Like to...


Create a guide


Look for Similar Items by Category