Sugar Snow

We love the "First Little House" book series. We have all of them but Farmer Boy Birthday and love them all. We have read "Little House in the Big Woods" out loud but my daughter still likes to read the books w/ pictures as well. The art work is beautiful and the story true to Laura's own story.

Sugar Snow, an adaptation from the Little House on the Prarie classic series, will delight children and peak their interest in Pioneering life. The illustrations capture the attention and imagination of young children, whetting their appetite for more. In this tale, kids learn about how children used to pass time before the advent of TV. They also get a mini lesson on what it takes to make a pancake favorite...MAPLE SYRUP! A sweet delight for you and your child!

One of the things I like about this book for young readers is that the same vocabulary words are repeated throughout the series so that the kids can build on what they learned in one book while they're reading the next. At first, I was disappointed with the series since I didn't think it did justice to the Little House series that I treasured myself as a girl. After a few reads, however, I see that the magic of Laura Ingalls Wilder's stories shines through in this series with Renee Graef's illustrations. How else do you explain to a four-year-old what a log cabin is really like? I am surprised how many "How.." and "Why..." questions this series has provoked. Regarding this book in particular, my daughter asked about a million questions about the maple syrup-making process.

My students are learning English and American culture. They learn to read these books and are highly motivated because the television show mirrors the books so closely. They can go on to read the real little house on the prarie books and enjoy them.

Life in the "Little House" days is so different from my own kids' suburban lives that they are fascinated by this series. The reviewer who wrote that these are a poor substitute for the real thing is wrong. These are a great introduction for kids to these books, help them get a historical perspective of earlier American life, and will wet their appetite to read the original Little House books when they are old enough.