Customer Reviews

Winter on the Farm: Adapted from the Little House Books by Laura Ingalls Wilder (My First Little House Picture Books)

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This is a strong, family/work ethic "history" book for boys, which is rare. This is on my list for gifts right along side, "Mike Mulligan and his Steam Shovel".

Great series of books. Good wholesome reading for children. Great book for younger children with interest in animals.

These books are a great way to get your younger child interested in the Little House books. The pictures are beautiful. My 3 year old became interested in them when she was 2 and carries them all over the house. We read them so much she has them memorized!

This story is adapted from Laura Ingalls Wilder's Farmer Boy, a story of her husband Almanzo's childhood years. In this book, we look at the life of Almanzo during a winter on his family's farm in New York State.

The story contains many things that will be different and yet familiar to children reading. Many children have chores, and can identify with Almanzo in that regard, but few children these days have to make clean beds for cows and other animals in the barn. There's also Almanzo's familiar desire to do something that his father doesn't think he's old enough for, taking care of the horses; all children can identify with wanting to be big enough to do something.

One thing that many children will think interesting is the meal that Almanzo sat down to in the eveing: salt pork, ham and gravy, baked beans, boiled potatoes, mashed turnips, stewed pumpkin, bread & butter, and pumpkin pie. No indications that this was a special meal, just apparently an ordinary evening meal for this hardworking farm family. Then after supper, they enjoy cider, apples and popcorn together!

The illustrations are gorgeous, very colorful and vibrant with a homey feel to them. There are plenty of little details that the observant parent can point out, like the pitcher, wash basin, and toul by the back door for washing up when coming inside, or the knife and stick that Royal has in hand, probably for whittling. The pictures are very detailed.

This book is a wonderful introduction to the Little House books, and presents a wonderful window into life in the 1800s. I would recommend this book for children in the 3-to-8-year-old range, as a read-aloud for younger children and for children reading on a 3rd to 4th grade level to read by themselves. My daughters, ages 7, 5, and 3 1/2, all enjoy this series of books, even though the older two have listened to me read the full-length books. This title may be more enjoyed by boys than others in the series, most of which focus on Laura and Mary.

This book is a great companion to "Farmer Boy" by Laura Ingalls Wilder. It shows Almanzo doing chores, it shows the inside of the barn and the inside of the house, and it shows Almanzo's family. Giant illustrations bring the action to your children. This is a great book. We read the "big" books - the Little House series - as a family, and then we read these well-illustrated "First" books for more impact. Another book, "Pioneer Sampler" by Barbara Greenwood, also tracks nicely with the Little House books and has amazingly good illustrations.

We love these Little House Books. My daughters are 4 and 2, we have the whole set and read them every night.

Winter on the Farm, an adaptation from the Little House on the Prarie classic series, will delight children and peak their interest in Pioneering life. The illustrations capture the attention and imagination of young children, whetting their appetite for more.

Winter on the Farm introduces your children to Almanzo and his family. This classic tale shows how families share household responsibility and remind us how to respect our siblings and our parents. Almanzo works hard along-side his older brother and is happy to be praised by his father for a job well-done.