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Summary: Charming story with a purpose
Review: Although this award-winning children's picture book was written many years ago, it is amazingly relevant for today. The story follows the life of a little house, built long ago in the countryside and then slowly swallowed up by the spreading tide of urbanization, only to find itself surrounded by tall buildings, noise and hubbub, and condemned to destruction. The house is restored to happiness by being moved back out into the countryside, where it can once again ejoy the night sky and the songs of birds and laughter of children playing. Young children, age 2 to 6, will enjoy the story and pictures, even if they don't care about urbanization or anything else.
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Summary: The Little House
Review: As with many of the reviewers here, this was my favorite book as a child, and I consider it to be Virginia Lee Burton's quintessential work. While all her books are wonderful, none have the childlike simplicity and artistry of The Little House.That this book won the Caldecott Medal is no surprise. The illustrations jump off the page. Each page is meticulously drawn with enough vibrant color and detail to peruse for several minutes. Each of the seasons in the country is vividly pictured. As the city encroaches upon the Little House, the frame changes subtly from page to page to show the slow transition from rural to urban life. Both of my children (6 and 3 years of age) are captivated by the illustrations and the story. Reading this book aloud to them brings back fond memories of the countless hours I spent engrossed in it as a child. I cannot emphasize enough how wonderful it truly is. Even 60 years after it was written, it still has the power to tug at the heart.
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Summary: An American Classic
Review: I have read two of Virginia Lee Burtons' books to my 6 year old son as part of his homeschooling work. I was discussing them with a friend who is also using the same program as we are, and she recomended The Little House to us. I can't believe that I had never read it before. It is amazing. We where both in tears over the sad circumstances that overcame the little house and where so pleased to find her 'renewal and redemption'... A wonderful book on perserverance, look closely and you can teach on historical, economical and enviromental issues. This book has become one of those must have gifts for our friends also.
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Summary: Childhood Classic
Review: The Little House is an endearing story depicting the journey of a little house from a quiet, simpler time through the modern jungle and finally back "home" again. This classic belongs in the personal library of every child. Children will love the pictures, especially the little house's almost "human-like" features that transform from "sad" to "happy". Parents will appreciate the interpretation of the "there is no place like home" lesson.
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Summary: Favorite Childhood Bedtime Story
Review: The Little House was my favorite bedtime story, so the book's illustrations bring back memories of a happy childhood. I remember my mom reading it to me endless numbers of times. Although I did not know who wrote the book, the vivid illustrations in the book and the author's text made me realize that this little house had just as much feeling as we humans do. Just watching the serene countryside where this house stood gradually transformed into a big city filled with noise and pollution causes this little house to feel just as disappointed with urban sprawl as we humans do and to yourn for a more simpler life in the countryside. This a most a heartwarming tale of survival. In a phoenixlike fashion, the author shows that although the house eventaully becomes delapidated and forgotten, the house is eventually rescued by a descendant of the building's original owner and returned to the more peaceful life in the countryside that this house once knew.
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Summary: A little house yearns for the trees and hills of its past.
Review: The noted children's book about a house built on a hill away from any town. As the years pass, the city comes closer and closer and eventually surrounds the little house which misses its old hills and trees. One earlier reviewer expressed concern about the apparent anti-urban bias. I think Burton simply had a pro-nature bias rather than anti-urban. And, I think any of us, including those who live in cities or suburbia would not care to live in the sprawl that was depicted in the illustrations and was indeed present in many cities in the 1940s when the book first came out. The book won the 1943 Caldecott Medal for best illustration in a book for children.
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Summary: Careful what you ask for
Review: The story of The Little House Her Story was a story wonderful to use in many age groups and for many ways in a classroom. The story sends a message of being careful what you wish for and about family values. The grandfather cared for his family so much that he wanted to make sure this house would last a lifetime. He built it so that noone could take away a gift that would outlast his time on Earth. Outside of that idea, you also have the idea of the house wanting more for herself and becoming uncomfortable. Then when she gets to move to the city as she hoped, all she did was hope for her peace and quiet back that she had in the country. This lesson is very important in any stage of a child or adults life. There are a million activities one could do with this book and as a a teacher, I would have students look up the history of their house and find out all the neat little things you just never think about. This book was wonderfully written and perfectly illustrated.
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Summary: Urban sprawl - the picture book
Review: The year is 1942 and America has fallen head over heels in love with a whole new literary form. It's sweeping the nation! It's appearing hither and yon! Yes, in the early 1940s, picture books were suddenly awash in inanimate objects with human characteristics. Whether it was "The Little Red Lighthouse and the Great Grey Bridge", or the Caldecott winning, "The Little House", children were reading about a variety of living breathing pieces of architecture. Virginia Lee Burton was especially good at this kind of book. Her previous venture, "Mike Mulligan and His Steam Shovel", was a smash hit (remaining so today). So Burton decided to up the stakes a little and write a similar story about a little house. In this book, however, Burton outdoes herself by being able to convey seasons, the passage of time, and the nasty ways cities have of encroaching on country landscapes all within a scant 40 pages.
Long ago a little house was built in the country. The man who built her decided that this house, special as it was, could never be bought and sold. Instead, he planned on leaving it to his children, his children's children, and his children's children's children. Etc. The house was pleased with the arrangement. It watched the seasons go by. It watched the children that played in it grow up and move away. It even watched the changing fashions and modes of transportation. Horse and buggies one day, automobiles the next. This is all well and good until a new asphalt road appears. Suddenly it's a heckuva lot easier for people to reach the area in which the little house lives. Things get faster and suddenly the little house is surrounded by tenement houses. Then there are trolley cars (oh the trolley cars). Next comes elevated trains, and subways, and (worst of all) gigantic skyscrapers on either side of the now seriously dilapidated little house. One day, a descendent of the original owner sees the house and inquires after it. Since it turns out she owns it (I guess... the book's a little shaky on the legal aspects of ownership at this point) the house is summarily picked up by movers and taken to the country she loves so much. Happy house. Happy family. The end.
I wonder what the percentage is of children reading this book and realizing that, in time, the city will probably come to surround the little house yet again. There has probably never been a better book that delineates so clearly the horrors of urban sprawl. On a less hoity-toity level, this is just a darn good book. Burton's illustrations are simple little paintings with tiny human figures. Due to the fact that there are nineteen pictures of the little house that are basically looking at it straight on without any change in perspective or angle, it's mind-boggling that Burton has still managed to make every single illustration unique and interesting. Whether she's filled the page with autumnal colors, or is driving home the horror of the little house's fate through stark black and white images, these pictures are incredibly well done. Kids reading the book will enjoy the different vehicles and tiny human figures that dot each page. Adults will enjoy the craft Burton has taken with her storytelling.
There are a lot of Caldecott award winning books that have aged oh-so badly. "Animals of the Bible" comes to mind as does the gawdawful "Abraham Lincoln" by the Parin d'Aulaires. This book, however, is well worthy of its praise. It may not be a flashy irony-soaked post-modern picture book like the ones being written today (and admittedly, I love a good irony-soaked picture book as much as the next gal) but it holds its ground and deserves to be remembered. Give it half a chance and you'll wind up loving it.
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Summary: The Simple Things in Life.
Review: This delightful little book was written many years ago, but the story has not aged at all and the quaint illustrations now add to the book's charm. A little house is built in the country and the builders/owners say that the little house will never be torn down and will remain so that future generations can continue living there. As time goes on, the noise of the city is heard until eventually the little house is a part of a very big city. The story is a pure delight. However, it also contains some subtle messages about the effects of urbanization and an appreciation for the simple things in life. The book also helps children learn about seasons as the little house watches one season pass into the next. Great book.
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Summary: Awesome book - more fun than I remembered
Review: This is another great classic that should be in every child's library. A winner of the Caldecott award in 1942, this book is just timeless. It begins in Victorian times showing the little house with horse-drawn carriages and ladies dressed in their finery, and progresses to the "advances" with cars and trucks. It tells the story of a house that wonders what it's like to live in the city and unfortunately, finds out. Gone is the beautiful countryside which is replaced with large buildings, railways, cars, subways, etc. Then the great-great granddaughter sees the house and moves it back to the countryside to live in it with her family and makes the house very happy. It's a truly neat story because it is what happened to the author's own home. You have to get this book for your children - it's just so sweet and neat how the book ends. Progress isn't always progress. My little guy just loved it and I read my copy to him which shows how important of a classic this one is to have. Mine is over 35 years old.
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