Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Little House on the Prairie: Especially for Little Chickens...


Getting lost in "Little House on the Prairie" books was one of the best pleasures of childhood;  didn't you think so, too?

Then, when I had my own kids, it was our pleasure, to read those loved and familiar stories aloud to our kids.  But for the tiny ones, who may not be ready to sit and listen to "chapter books" as we called them, these picture books are perfect to introduce the little ones to our friends Ma, Pa, Carrie, Mary and Laura.  

These are perfectly illustrated books, in the tradition of Garth Williams....the pictures in these will take you back to the line drawings done by him when little house books were written.  





Illlustrator Rene Graef honors Garth Williams perfectly-- for her drawings are reminiscent of his style, and the colors she used are soft and gentle, just like Laura's story telling.  It's easy for your child to lose his or herself in the illustrations as you snuggle with them and read the words.






Every book in this series starts out with the same familiar sentence:

"Long ago, a little girl named Laura Ingalls lived in a little house in the Big Woods of Wisconsin with her Pa, her Ma, her sisters, Mary and Carrie, and their good old bulldog, Jack."







Then, with Laura's own words, we read about the stories of her (and  sometimes Almonzo's) life...chapters from various books shortened up for the youngest ones to listen to and maybe even read themselves when they first start learning.





My collection of these picture books numbers thirteen, and that is all that were made.  I wanted to own them all and bought them when I was homeschooling my youngest son.  I hung onto them and am now getting some for my little grandson, Levi.

They go with fond memories--I love them dearly--SUCH SWEET MEMORIES of many bed times of snuggling my own freshly bathed little blue eyed boy.  I will look forward to reading them again to another little chubby-cheeked boy with even brighter blue eyes than my own babies!

I truly do love these books and that's why I wanted to share them with my blog readers:  moms and grandmas  alike, you may not even have known Laura's books were done and you might know a certain someone who would enjoy these for a gift at Christmastime or for a special birthday.



And just for fun, here's my little grandson, Levi Jack...the one who will inherit these treasures!








 

The books are available on Amazon.com (here's one of them) and there are a few complete sets on eBay; this set of twelve is currently at a really good price.


7 comments:

PBKISSES said...

Our family adores the Little House books...in fact I am thinking tonight of pulling out Farmer Boy and reading the Christmas chapter!
My daughter has a couple of the younger version and, you're right, the pictures are wonderful!
Merry Christmas!

lil red hen said...

The little house books weren't available when I was a child, but my girls introduced me to them when they started to school. I love them and have two complete sets. The last set I bought to loan to older women who had never read them. The grandbaby is adorable! He's growing so fast! Merry Christmas!!

Miss Gracie's House said...

Oh, the memories those books bring...I loved the days of reading them...I enjoyed scrolling down and seeing all of your pretties...your halls are truly decked out! Merry Christmas, Joni!
Rene

Donna said...

Oh, the picture of him laughing is priceless!!!

Unknown said...

I never found the Little House till a was an adult. Then read them three times. Every once in a while I still pull them out and enjoy them. Love the new picture book! You grandson is so cute. Love those big feet! Have a Merry Christmas with your family!

birdie blue said...

love the little house books. i don't know how many times i re-read them, when i was younger. my girls are enjoying them now, as well. one of my girls chose to do a big biography report on laura ingalls wilder. she dressed up as her and it was darling.

could your little grandson levi be any cuter?

i hope your week is peaceful and productive.
xo
~molly

Mac n' Janet said...

Some how I "missed" the Little House books as a child, but discovered them when my daughter started reading them.
Your grandson has grown so much! How adorable he is.