"Art and Composition Activities for Little House in the Big Woods by Laura Ingalls Wilder"

This deceptively-simple supplement to Little House in the Big Woods packs a wallop of meaningful content into easy and fun art and writing assignments. Not only will it will help children understand the book better, but it provides full-fledged lessons in art appreciation and composition.

The bulk of this resource consists of "chapter activities" which generally include three segments:

1. "Discussion" - Simple discussion questions are intended to start conversations about the book and invite the child to compare their own life with Laura's life. Discussions such as these are excellent for reading comprehension, thinking skills, etc.

2. "Writing" - Assignments are simple and related to the story, suc as writing about a special gift you have received for Christmas. The unique thing about these assignments is that they each have a corresponding worksheet in the back of the booklet that help the child to collect his thoughts, organize ideas, and in the process learn to become a better writer.

3. "Art" - The simple art projects employ a process called "discipline based art education". Rather than simply assign a drawing based on the story, the child is presented with a famous work of art (such as Van Gogh's Bedroom by Vincent Van Gogh) which provides a good example of an artistic feature that they will use in their assignment. In the case of Van Gogh's Bedroom, the child sees how the artist made the picture three dimensional (simple instructions are included) and replicates that aspect of the painting into their own artwork (in this case a drawing of the attic). What a great way to apply art appreciation to the child's work (reminiscent of the Suzuki method in music). All of the artwork can be viewed online (websites are included) or purchased in postcard form from the publisher.

Rounding out the booklet are...

Activities before Reading, which includes projects about the four seasons and about the geography of Wisconsin

Activities after Reading, which includes instructions for making little books relating to the story, a three-dimensional diorama of a scene from the story, planning an evening "Little House Style", comparing the child's life to Laura's and some simple recipes.

I"m very pleased to recommend this very well-thought-out booklet as a worthwhile, family-friendly resource. Suitable for a wide age range, especially grades one thru five.

My family and I may never be able to visit the "Little House" country in person, but this photo-filled book makes us feel as if we were there. This is a picture book in the most literal sense of the word! Each of the full-color, professional photographs has a caption of several sentences describing the photograph and some interesting details about the scenes in them.

The photographer traveled through Wisconsin, Kansas, Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, Missouri, and New York to take these pictures. We can see the footbridge over Plum Creek in the summer time and the sun rising over a wintry Silver Lake. We are taken inside Laura's prairie schoolhouse and into the writing study she used as an adult. We are shown a picture of the Ingalls' family Bible with Ma's beautiful handwriting and another of Pa's fiddle. These photographs truly reinforce the idea that the "Little House" books are telling the story of a real family. This book is a "Must Read" for any fan of the series!

This mouthwatering book isn't about Laura. It is about her future husband, Almanzo Wilder, and told through his eyes. He works (hard) on his father's sucessful farm in upstate New York. As would be expected from the perspective of a hardworking young boy the book lingers on FOOD. They ate pretty well too! They have fresh fruits and vegatables, they make their own butter (some of which they sell for - about a buck a pound! - imagine that). The pies, the meat etc. etc. etc. Each is described just well enough that you want to make some for yourself. But this was a growing farmer boy - I am afraid his rich diet might not pass muster with the current health nazis - maybe that's why your mouth waters so much. He also tells how he works off all those calories... making tools, shearing sheep, planting and harvesting - all in addition to his daily chores.

The dog, which has been trotting in the shadow of the wagon for maybe a hundred miles, lays down to rest. The family has just moved from indian territory to western Minnesota. Pa does a little negotiating and ends up trading the horses that helped them move for the sod hut of a Norweigan farmer who is ready to move farther west. So they begin their life at the new home. The delights of childhood liesure are described, not so much reminiscing as the matter-of-fact way that a child who simply enjoyed it would tell. There is plenty to do besides just swim in the creek and make friends with the crab in the creek. Pa forcasts great fortunes for the family when the wheat gets ready to be harvested. But Laura has told us the most enjoyable stories about a family that seems to undergo some of the most trying times you can imagine. They are beset by misfortune again and again - and yet life goes on - life in this family goes on and gets better in ways that are never measured by money or posessions.

I begin to be amazed at this in this book (the second I have read). I am more and more so as the series continues how hard a life they had - and how they deal with the sour turns that are handed to them. Their trials are far beyond what most of us can imagine going through. It is hard to read - knowing that the story is true. And yet the lesson in hope and character is incredibly valuable. The reader will often have a chance to measure his own sufferings and setbacks against those of the Ingalls family - and see how easy he has things!