Little House On The Prairie Books

Summertime and the Reading is Easy

Summer is so close I can taste it. Long days, sunshine, and the town pool. No more running for the bus, or racing to after school activities.

Many parents fret that their children’s brains will melt in the heat of the summer. Because of my education background, people will often ask me what academics I require my kids to do over the summer. The answer is that unless they are struggling with a particular skill, I only require them to read. Reading is enough to keep those synapses fired up throughout July and August!

I know what you are thinking. How can you force a kid to read? Some will do it on their own, but many others have to be prodded. Even kids who willingly read during school seem to get lazy about dusting off that book cover when it’s not required.

There are several approaches you can take to encourage your youngster to explore literature when the school door closes behind them in a couple of weeks.

First, use your child’s interests. If you have an Egyptologist, find a historical fiction novel that takes place in ancient Egypt or a non-fiction book on the topic. Then spring for one of those archeology kits where he can dig for Egyptian artifacts, and take a trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art to view the Egypt exhibit. Summer is a great time to connect your child’s reading to the outside world simply because we have the time.

Children, like adults, have strong preferences about what they read. Try to understand the reading habits of your child which will make book selection easier. Talk to him about the books he has read this year, which ones he like most, and try to find a pattern.

Does he like series that have recurring characters? Or does he prefer a specific genre like mystery or fantasy? Reading should be fun in the summer, unlike the school year where choices are often made for him. And if you don’t know your sports story from your mystery series, consult the professionals. The librarians and the folks the at the book store know their kiddie lit!

Reading can become a family affair in the summer, too. Without homework and with TV in re-runs, set aside some time after dinner to read a book as a family. Choose a kid’s story that will appeal to a variety of ages, adults included, and read aloud to one another. This is a great bonding experience and an opportunity for some great conversations. My personal suggestion for this summer would be to read a Harry Potter book, rent the movie, and then take a family trip to see the Harry Potter exhibit at the Times Square Discovery Center.

My Yellow Little House Books | Wendolonia

! I looked into buying a set, but then I realized that my parents probably still had my own books from my childhood. After a call to my dad, a package arrived yesterday holding the yellow cardboard box with nine faded Harper Trophy editions of my beloved Little House books.

As I pulled each book out, their covers brought back so many happy memories of the hours I spent in Laura’s world. I used to sit in a rocker and read them on our front porch in the summers (quaint, huh?) and I would stay up late reading them in my room too. My parents’ bedroom was downstairs and mine was upstairs, so once they fell asleep they had no idea that my light was on and that I was staying up until 2:00 am reading about life on the prairie. (At least I think they didn’t know. Mom? Dad?)

I also played Little House with my friend Nancy a lot. She lived a block away from a small creek (or maybe it was a stream? I’m not sure what the difference is.) and we would take turns pretending we were Laura, Mary or that delightful witch, Nellie Oleson as we jumped around in our very own Plum Creek. Sometimes we even wore our extremely fashionable prairie skirts while we played. Remember those? Mine was brown corduroy.

The Little House books aren’t without their problems, of course, and some of those issues are front and center in my mind as we delve into Little House on the Prairie . The Ingalls’ relationship with Native Americans and the way Laura writes about it is troubling. Pa built a homestead in “Indian territory” by his own admission, for pete’s sake! And Ma — everyone’s beloved Ma — is about as bigoted as a person can be. Even the language Wilder uses is uncomfortable. We’ve just finished chapter one and already Laura has decided that she wants her very own “brown Indian papoose.” Ugh.