At some time in my youth I was introduced to the book, The Little House. I had forgotten all about it until one day when I was at an outlet store rummaging through their books. They had several copies of The Little House that jumped right out of the pile at me. Boy, was I excited to make such a find.

The Little House is a Caldecott Medal winner written & illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton back in 1942. It is 40 pages long although ½ of those are illustrations only. It is the story of a house that was built in the 1800s some time. It is built in the country surrounded by apple trees, grass, farmland, a stream, & children who play all around. In the distance the house can see the city lights & wonders what it is like in the city. As years pass the house slowly gets her wish – houses are built on top of the farmland, streets are paved, & eventually no one takes care of the house anymore. She stands amongst skyscrapers with trolleys passing in front of her, an El train above her, & a subway below her. She no longer sees the moon at night because of the lights of the city. She is run down & boarded up & becomes sad, longing for the days before the city moved all around her.

One day a woman passes by & recognizes the house as her great-great grandfather’s. She arranges to have the house moved back to the country amidst grass & apple trees again. They fix the house & the house is again happy … happy she can see the moon, sun & stars & watch the seasons change. She no longer wonders about the city & no longer desires to live there.

This is a wonderful story for young & old alike. It teaches appreciation for simple things in nature such as the different phases of trees, the sun rising & setting, robins returning in spring, greening grass, & children playing innocently in streams. Older readers will appreciate the lesson of the detrimental effects of urban sprawl. Illustrations are simple yet bold enough to show the difference between the peaceful beauty of the country & the crowds & dirtiness of the city. Young children can easily pick up on the story’s messages by its illustrations.

...wonderful reading for parents & children!


Recommended: Yes