I grew up watching “Little House on the Prairie” while in my opinion it remains one of the great television series we have been reading the books this year and they are oh so so much better. I love that I am finally able to read chapter books with my children and look forward to my story time as much as the children. We just finished the 3rd book in the series “Farmer Boy,” the one book that is actually about Laura’s husband, Almanzo Wilder.
As we embark on our new journey as farmers this book has alot of interest for me. It is fascinating to me that Almanzo’s father raised merino sheep in the 1850s-60s. Or how careful he was when training horses, how to raise a “milk-fed pumpkin” and the techniques for building a sled to haul wood.
The children loved the pictures and I did to. It is interesting enough to be a fun read but has some interesting instructions that I plan to try out this next year.
Two things really fascinated me about the book–1. The price that Mr. Wilder got for his products, like $0.50/bushel for potatoes, $2/bail for hay and $400 for a team of horse. Yeah if you are thinking what I am thinking the prices haven’t gone up that much in 150 years.
2. When Almanzo’s older brother chooses a career as a shop keeper over farmer and Almanzo must make his own decision the benefits of being a farmer have not changed that much either.
So I would definitely suggest adding Farmer Boy to your winter reading list. Things I really want to try include winter evening taffy pulls and story telling nights. I look forward to slowing down a bit once the move is complete. What’s your plans for quiet winter evenings.