Laura Ingalls Meets Nellie Oleson: The True Story (Book Review)

On the Banks of Plum Creek by Laura Ingalls Wilder
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

The continuing saga of the struggling Ingalls family AFTER they have built their "little house on the prairie" and stopped to settle in a little sod house by the "banks of plum creek" where they get livestock, plant crops and the girls attend school for the first time and meet Nellie Olsen. (Gasp!)

They also encounter hardships (of course) like blizzards, failed crops, and LOCUSTS!

Well written, interesting, and appropriate for ALL ages from young children right up to old fogies (like me). Enjoyable for boys and girls, men and women, and with so much more depth and realism than the 1970s TV show, this would be perfect for a family read-aloud time.

NOTE:
About mid-way through this ebook, I decided to give a listen to it in audiobook format when I read a review stating it had a wonderful narrator. So here is my review specifically "speaking" 😉 to that format.


AUDIOBOOK REVIEW:

It seems strange to hear someone else speak the words that have so far been only in my voice and in my head throughout these many years. But it's good to have a new experience with the book and Cherry Jones does a lovely job reading it with her calm and expressive voice. I get a fresh perspective when I hear her different inflections and how she emphasizes different things than I do.

But audiobooks are never quite as good as being directly engaged with the written word, no matter who is reading it. And the harsh fiddle music they have inserted in between some of the chapters feels more like an interruption. Although a good idea, it might be better if they chose music better suited to the tone of the story or event they are attempting to enhance at that moment. Or perhaps just someone with a better singing voice. (Sorry, sir, whoever you are.) As it is, it only serves to remind me how much this version is missing the Garth Williams illustrations which have become synonymous with this series of books for generations.

Also, since being able to read is not a requirement for an audiobook, I'm lowering the Age Suitability to three years old. Actually, you can go even younger if you can locate a two-year-old that will stay in one location longer than ten seconds! 😉


Main books in the "Little House" series:

1. Little House in the Big Woods
2. Little House on the Prairie
3. Farmer Boy (Almanzo Wilder's story)
4. On the Banks of Plum Creek
5. By the Shores of Silver Lake
6. The Long Winter
7. Little Town on the Prairie
8. These Happy Golden Years
9. The First Four Years

I hope all this information is helpful. Thank you for reading it.

Sincerely, Laura-Lee

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Cuddle Your Children with Max Lucado (book review)

Just in Case You Ever Wonder Educator's Guide by Max Lucado
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Words: Max Lucado, Illustrations: Eve Tharlet

NOTE. There is more than one version of this book, but each with a different illustrator. I am reviewing and recommending the one with drawings by EVE THARLET and my rating mainly reflects her contributions. Which I make more fully understandable in the review below. LL


This book is what I call a "Cuddle Book". You take a young child into your arms and gently flip through the pages as they see fit and just enjoy your time together.

As far as what Max Lucado contributes, it doesn't really matter. His talent is to use words to create an emotional bond to God. But that's not really required here because there are few words on few pages. They are used primarily as the structure to hold the pictures together and give them a coherent order, as well as to depict the general theme of our worth to God.

This book is primarily about the contributions of illustrator Eve Tharlet, even though she gets secondary credit. And what wonderful illustrations they are! Calming with their muted colors and full of little details that are fun to search for, as your child gets you to read it for the umpteenth time. Like, in the "Bric a Brac" shop there is a stuffed animal in the front window and the tricycle on the sidewalk. They aren't referred to in the words, so why are they there? Maybe you and your child could imagine your own reason or story for the answer.

I would look at this book as a chance to share some quiet, quality time with the child/children in your life. Probably by the time they are past six years old the opportunity with this particular book will be over. So grab at this deeply satisfying opportunity now.

Thank you to Netgalley and Tommy Nelson (I love that name) for allowing me to have an advanced look at this book in exchange for an honest review. Even though I don't have a small child in my life right now, I can always appreciate beautiful pictures and the lower blood pressure I enjoy when I browse through them. (sigh)

Sincerely, Laura-Lee

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Journey Deep into Early American History (Book Review)

Little House in the Big Woods by Wilder Laura Ingalls
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

I just read this book for the umpteenth time, but for my first time as an ebook. Also, it's been about a decade since my last time around, so I'm seeing it from a fresh perspective (again) as I continue to age. I forgot how truly wonderful this book is. Like a window into history as we get to witness the earliest foundations of the Ingalls family which is now embedded into our culture.

It's the first book by Laura Ingalls Wilder and it is obvious that it is written for children. More so than any of the books that follow. It even reflects how children think in things like how it will abruptly change a topic or make a comment that only a small child would make. Yet, simultaneously, the author makes her own social criticisms and commentary that only an adult would pick up on.

But what is truly fascinating is the amount of detail that is put into describing how things were done back then. From Pa making his own bullets and loading the gun, to how a threshing machine works. From Ma's perspective we learn how to make preserves, churn butter, make cheese, weave straw hats, butcher a pig, smoke various types of meat, create maple syrup, and a myriad of other things needed to get prepared for an isolated winter in the "big woods".

It's a short read but such an enjoyable one that I would recommend it to anyone. Especially if you love history. And, if you're a REAL man and don't care what others think about you if they discover you reading this book, there is lots to learn about what it took to take care of your family in those difficult times in early America. Hunting, fishing, and farming in the "olden days" was certainly no easy task and I can't think of a better way for fathers to connect with their children than to read this book to them. Neither generation will be bored for sure. And immersing yourself for awhile in the attitudes, beliefs, and sensibilities of those times is as refreshing as a breath of Spring.

My only problem was that the ebook version I had messed up displaying the wonderful Garth Williams illustrations which have become iconic in themselves and synonymous with this series.

But I warn you. Just like potato chips, you will be unable to stop at just one and will want to continue with the rest of the series. But don't fret. These are not fattening or bad for your cholesterol. They will do your heart, mind, and spirit nothing but good. So munch away.

Thanks for reading my review.

Sincerely, Laura-Lee

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