Little House in Brookfield (Little House)
by Maria D. Wilkes, Dan Andreasen | Children's Books | This book has not been rated.
ISBN: 0064406105 Global Overview for this book
ISBN: 0064406105 Global Overview for this book
1 journaler for this copy...
This book should be interesting, if fragmented. Since it's only based on a few surviving documents - letters and the like - it's rather unlikely that there's much historical base to it.
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From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6?Set in the 1840s, when Brookfield, WI, was a frontier town rapidly increasing in population, this story is the first in yet another series of "Little House" books. It focuses on Caroline Quiner (mother of Laura Ingalls Wilder) as a six-year-old in a family of six children recently left fatherless. Their loving mother brings the grieving family through a difficult winter and into a springtime of hope and anticipation as they work together to cope with the great emptiness left by their father's death. The youngsters experience apprehension concerning the first day of school and the embarrassment of wearing worn clothing and shoes with holes. No matter what the difficulty, Mother and Grandmother kindly and firmly guide the children to accept and make the very best of their situation. They relish the special Christmas bread that Mother bakes and appreciate the kindness of helpful neighbors. As the family survives the hardships of rural-frontier life, they grow in strength, experience, and love for one another. The story works well as historical fiction, giving great attention to interesting details of daily events. Black-and-white drawings provide a clear extension of the text. This warm family story follows nicely in the style of the "Little House" books.?Toni Dean, Patchogue-Medford Library, NY
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From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6?Set in the 1840s, when Brookfield, WI, was a frontier town rapidly increasing in population, this story is the first in yet another series of "Little House" books. It focuses on Caroline Quiner (mother of Laura Ingalls Wilder) as a six-year-old in a family of six children recently left fatherless. Their loving mother brings the grieving family through a difficult winter and into a springtime of hope and anticipation as they work together to cope with the great emptiness left by their father's death. The youngsters experience apprehension concerning the first day of school and the embarrassment of wearing worn clothing and shoes with holes. No matter what the difficulty, Mother and Grandmother kindly and firmly guide the children to accept and make the very best of their situation. They relish the special Christmas bread that Mother bakes and appreciate the kindness of helpful neighbors. As the family survives the hardships of rural-frontier life, they grow in strength, experience, and love for one another. The story works well as historical fiction, giving great attention to interesting details of daily events. Black-and-white drawings provide a clear extension of the text. This warm family story follows nicely in the style of the "Little House" books.?Toni Dean, Patchogue-Medford Library, NY
This is the 50th book I've read this year! (Yes, the list of books consists of many children's tales. What can I say? I'm having a second childhood.)
Little House in Brookfield mimics the style of Laura Ingalls Wilder more effectively than Roger Lea MacBride's Rocky Ridge series about Rose Wilder does, but the storytelling itself is weaker. Maybe this is due to the fact that, as I noted in my first entry, the sources for the story are sparse and fragmented. Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote from firsthand experience, and MacBride was the heir of Rose and had heard her stories directly from the source. Maria D. Wilkes has no connection to the family - as far as I know - other than a writer that wanted to cash in on the "Little House" fame, and it shows in her stories, which somehow lack the personality of the other two series.
That said, it's fun to hear about Caroline's childhood. I don't recall ever learning in Laura's books that her grandmother was a young widow, and I found it amazing that she was able to raise so many children by herself. Caroline's character lacks depth, but it's cute to see how similar she is to her daughter Mary, and her sister Martha acts much like her niece Laura.
Little House in Brookfield mimics the style of Laura Ingalls Wilder more effectively than Roger Lea MacBride's Rocky Ridge series about Rose Wilder does, but the storytelling itself is weaker. Maybe this is due to the fact that, as I noted in my first entry, the sources for the story are sparse and fragmented. Laura Ingalls Wilder wrote from firsthand experience, and MacBride was the heir of Rose and had heard her stories directly from the source. Maria D. Wilkes has no connection to the family - as far as I know - other than a writer that wanted to cash in on the "Little House" fame, and it shows in her stories, which somehow lack the personality of the other two series.
That said, it's fun to hear about Caroline's childhood. I don't recall ever learning in Laura's books that her grandmother was a young widow, and I found it amazing that she was able to raise so many children by herself. Caroline's character lacks depth, but it's cute to see how similar she is to her daughter Mary, and her sister Martha acts much like her niece Laura.
