Farmer Boy Days: Adapted from the Little House Books by Laura Ingalls Wilder (Little House Chapter Book) (Library Binding)

by Laura Ingalls Wilder (Editor), Renee Graef (Illustrator) "It was chore time at the Wilder farm in northern New York State..." (more)
Key Phrases: South Barn

Editorial Reviews

Product Description
From shearing sheep and milking cows to training young calves, Almanzo Wilder worked very hard on his family's farm in New York. But when his chores were all done, Almanzo could go to his favorite place in the whole world -- the Horse-Barn. Although his father wouldn't let him handle the frisky colts, Almanzo could still look at them and dream of one day having a horse all his own!

These gentle adaptions from Laura Ingalls Wilder's original Little House books capture the spirit of this beloved pioneer girl and invite beginning chapter-book readers into the magical world of Little House. This glimpse into America's frontier past brings Laura's cherished stories to a whole new generation of young readers.

About the Author
Laura Ingalls Wilder was born in 1867 in the log cabin described in Little House in the Big Woods. She and her family traveled by covered wagon across the frontier, and when she was grown she wrote about her adventures in the Little House books. These beloved books have been read by millions of readers ever since they were first published over 60 years ago.

Renee Graef, an artist and doll designer, did extensive research on the historical settings of the Little House books and the pioneer experience in preparation for illustrating the My First Little House Books. She lives in Milwaukee, WI.

Product Details

• Reading level: Ages 9-12
  
• Library Binding: 80 pages
• Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers; 1st edition (February 1998)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0060274972
• ISBN-13: 978-0060274979
• Product Dimensions: 8.3 x 5.8 x 0.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.3 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.5 out of 5 stars See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #681,935 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

  Popular in this category: (What's this?)

  #92 in

  Books > Children's Books > Series > Historical > Little House

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Farmer Boy from a new dimension, August 5, 2000

A Kid's Review

This review is from: Farmer Boy Days (Little House Chapter Book) (Paperback)

This book is dazzling with stories about Almanzo Wilder and his childhood with brothers and sisters.Mellisa Peterson and Laura Ingalls Wilder really know how to attract young and imaginative minds to a great book.This book is filled with stories from the pioneer days in New York City.Come and enter the bustling world of young Almanzo Wilder, his farm in New York,and his family!

4.0 out of 5 stars Educating the Boy to be a Man, July 14, 2005

By	Acute Observer (N. Jersey Shore) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)

This review is from: Farmer Boy Days (Little House Chapter Book) (Paperback)

Farmer Boy, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

Laura Ingalls Wilder (1867-1957) wrote her stories about living in the late 19th century. She married Almanzo Wilder (from Malone NY, near the Canadian border), another pioneer who came west as a young man. This book is about young Almanzo and his life as a farmer boy. They ate a hearty farm breakfast. Calories don't count when you walk everywhere, work all day long, and live in a house lacking central heating when it is forty below zero.

Chapter 4 tells schooling in the good old days. Perhaps its explains why William Quantrill or George A. Custer were teachers before their military careers? Chapter 7 describes old-fashioned twisted doughnuts that turn over when cooked in oil. It tells how people lived without running water or electricity for dishwashing. Chapter 9 tells about breaking the calves. You could never teach an animal if you struck it, or shouted at it. You must always be gentle and quiet and patient. The animal must trust to be hard-working. Chapter 11 describes spring planting. Then there was sheep-shearing (Chapter 14). Almanzo's father explains that money is the result of hard work. You can spend and lose it, or you can buy a piglet, raise it, and get more money for it. Father explains that while guns won the Revolution, it was axes and plows that made America by farming the land (Chapter 16). Almanzo had mischievous ways (Chapter 18). Chapter 22 tells of the butchering, and how every part was used. Note how often these memories have to do with feasting on holidays (Chapter 26). Smells evoke memories.

The book tells of a year in Almanzo's life as a farmer boy, through the cycle of seasons. Its descriptions of life long ago is educational and entertaining. The book presents thrift as the optimal virtue, and better than squandering or parsimony. The events show that human nature hasn't changed much. Almanzo's father gave him a good practical education to prepare him to for his future. Father and Mother discuss Almanzo's future. Would he become a wheelwright and townsman, dependent on trade, or be an independent farmer and raise his own and other's food? You know how he decides.

Now it can be told. When Mother came home she saw the papered-over spot on the wall paper the very next day. She quickly figured out what happened, as Mothers usually do. But she decided not to make a fuss over it, as the children fixed their mistakes.