Caddie Woodlawn

Before you go buying just any old "Caddie Woodlawn" edition, I suggest you seek out and purchase one that has been illustrated by Trina Schart Hyman. I'm a Hyman fan to begin with, and in no other version of this story will you find as perfect a melding of picture and text.That said, this is a fabulous book, creating a historical figure that extends above and beyond that of the better known Laura Ingells Wilder. Both Laura and Caddie's stories were published in the 1930s and both concern pioneer girls living in the Midwest in the 1800's. There all similarities stop and Laura must bow down to the better book. The difference between the two (and the subsequent superiority of Brink's text) comes from the amount of interest children take in the books. While the "Little House" books are historically accurate and will repeat with perfect detail the intricacies of pioneer life, the "Caddie Woodlawn" books show the heart and soul of the people of that time. "Caddie Woodlawn" was fascinating to me as a child. In what other book could you find a red haired heroine bravely crossing the frozen river on her horse to warn the local Native Americans of imminent danger? The presence of the Indians in this book is a complex one. The book is certainly a product of its times, to some degree. Children with multi-racial parents are referred to as "half-breeds" and Indian John (as the pioneers call him) has a stilted speech not found in more sensitive novels today. Just the same, a children's book that makes the bold assertion that white pioneers were far more likely to go about massacring the natives than vice versa is a bit of fresh air. Say what you will of the Woodlawns's acceptance being "inaccurate", it improves the novel heartily. Finally, "Caddie Woodlawn" is just a lot of fun. Practical jokes, adventures, and creative methods of amusement fill the pages of this story. You empathize completely with Caddie when she feels the urge to tease her snobbish oh-Boston-is-heaven-on-earth cousin Annabelle. If asked who the most amusing redhead of children's literature in the English language is, I'd eschew Pippi Longstocking and Anne of Green Gables any day in favor of that fantastic and amusing Caddie Woodlawn.

The most remarkable thing about the book Caddie Woodlawn is that it is a true story! The real-live person named Caddie Woodlawn was 82 when the book was published by her grand-daughter in 1935. By writing down the stories told to her as a child, Carol Ryrie Brink captures her grandmother's life as a girl growing up on the Wisconsin frontier in the 1860's. Caddie Woodlawn is a tomboy and likes nothing better than to go on adventures with her brothers Tom and Warren. She comes from a large pioneer family of seven children. Her older sister Clara is always acting more lady-like than she, and her younger sister Hetty is always tattling on her. Caddie has a fierce independent streak, and we discover what life was like on the frontier as we accompany her to school, and on visits to the neighboring Indian village. The book reveals the often tense relations between Native Americans and the European settlers. Because of her friendship with Indian John, Caddie alone is able to restore peace to her settlement by taking action before the frightenend white settlers attack the Indians. By the book's end, Caddie's refined cousin Annabelle comes from Boston, and Caddie the tomboy learns that maybe a few lady-like activities such as quilting aren't so bad after all. Any teen today will look up to Caddie for her self-confidence and bravery, and see their own rites of passage reflected in Caddie's experiences.

Caddie Woodlawn is a very exciting book. I was always on the edge of my seat, waiting to see what happened next. It keeps you in suspense the whole time. There are funny parts, sad parts, scary parts, and mad parts. I really enjoy it, and if you buy this book and like adventure stories, I know that you will like it too.