Farshore Little House in the Big Woods

Hoping stories on CD will make a pleasant experience for someone who cannot read anymore but may like to listen. I remember these stories from when I was a kid and they were interesting and pretty calm in nature.

Would have liked it to have colored pictures, but in spite of, it's a very good read. Made from recycled paper material it seems.

These are labeled as children's books and children may like or love them. Though in my experience, adults seem to like and appreciate them much more. These are good stories, and they are fascinating. The writing is simple yet articulate and very easy to picture, so they ARE great children's books. All you ever wanted to know about the life of that time period is right here. Okay it's true that these books and the television show that came from it is as much a moral lesson for children as a compelling group of stories.It's almost like a lesson in respect and courage and family in every chapter of the series, kind of like the show. Though this first book is just a starter, it's mostly about the process of day to day life. I can say be careful to parents that want to read this to children not old enough to read this themselves though. If you are at all cautious of or worried about telling your younger children of certain practices like curing meat or something like that for whatever reason, then this may not be a book to buy. I suggest that if you have any reservations about how your children would react to hearing things like how Laura and Mary used an air filled and tied up pig bladder as a ball [By far the most explicit thing in the book and only mentioned for a paragraph or two] then maybe you should get this book from the library and proof read it first. Remember though this is mostly a nice series it is a dose of reality from a tough time in American history where each person or family had to make what they had and survive off the land if they were in the more unsettled territories. If you do like this book for yourself and or your children, or enjoy the show then you will probably like all the other books as well. They all pretty much come to the same thing - survival, family, respect, learning to get along with others, and hardwork.In the books to follow, the troubles and every day life can be very surprising, and becomes more about experiences then the process of many daily practices that are in this first book. I personally never watched the show through my childhood out of ill will for anything that reminded me of a hokey television way to teach me something, like alot kids do. I dismissed the show itself as a serious and more lecturing version of the Brady bunch [ nothing against that show, just not my cup of tea.] This is not the Brady Bunch though. The show wasn't the Brady Bunch and neither is the book. Though this is just a woman's memories of being a little girl in a good family, there are some serious life experiences here that anybody can relate to now. The relations between whites and blacks and the American Indians are very clear in the series to follow. It may come across as vague or non existent to a child at times during the series of books, but as an adult you get an appreciation for the way people felt back then, tension and all. Even if you only like this book a little, the series gets better and better. More story, more troubles, more history on the people in it build on each other and develop in a simple but interesting way. It doesn't drag on, or insult anyone's intelligence young or old. This is a fine quick read that is followed up by an even finer read.P.S. This is definetely not a gender or age specific thing. I Hope this review helped.

Re-reading Little House in the Big Woods this year brought back so many memories from my childhood. I used to read late at night when I was a kid, long after my parents had put us all to bed. It’s one of the reasons why I wear glasses now - I would spend hours reading by the light from the Jack-and-Jill bathroom between my room and my brothers’ room.I loved reading this story again as an adult and found myself so intrigued by all of the ways the Ingalls family did things differently than we do in western society now. It was so fascinating to read about how Pa would smoke the meat they were putting up for winter or how the family got together to process their maple syrup for the year. It made me grateful for the convenience afforded to me today, but also made me appreciate a simpler way of living that involves a deeper connection to the land, a more grounded sense of place and a more holistic way of fostering community. I do look forward to reading the rest of the series again.There are a couple of references in the book that are racist (primarily in song lyrics), which is why I did not give the story a full 5 star review. I would recommend having healthy conversations about this with your young ones who might read this book.

If you have a read aloud culture in your home this is a must have. All my children, ages 6-14, enjoyed it thoroughly. It’s the same as the standard sized Garth Williams versions but the bigger size really helps draw the children’s interest more. Such a great story… I wish they had read aloud versions for all the books in the series! For all ages but smaller children should be playing quietly while reading aloud if possible. (True for most middle grade read alouds)