Farmer Boy (Little House, #2)

by Laura Ingalls Wilder

[Whitney @ First Impressions Reviews]

Farmer Boy is the story of Laura Ingalls Wilder's husband Almanzo Wilder. As much as I love the Little House books I don't recall ever reading this installment of the series. Farmer Boy was really interesting and a different look at that time period (1860s) in upper state New York. It mainly focused on farming which was the families bread and butter/fortay.

I don't posses a green thumb, everything I touch seems to die. I am aware of the basics, like a virgin on her wedding night, but that's about it. Thus, the Wilders gave me a "farming for dummies" course. I knew there was a science to planting/harvesting crops but the fashion it was written kept my eyes from glazing over, describing the procession and teamwork it required if anything goes amiss, a situation akin to the I Love Lucy Candy Factory episode.

Even though Almanzo had to wake at 5am each morning to tend the cows,horse and general chores you could tell it was in his heart especially when he interacted with his horses, treating them with such a tender heart, almost as if they were his children.

While I found life on the farm very informative, I found their trips into town just as entertaining. There is one particular time during a fair in which Almanzo has enter his prized pumpkin in a contest (winning first place) it was so cute to see his excitement and anxiety to the verdict. Also, on two seperate occasions he is given spending money, once from his father which he spent on a pig and another from a begruging man after returning a lost wallet, putting the two hundred dollars in the bank showing a sensible mind. I felt it showed his character 360.

Farmer Boy was a delight to read, as sweet as pumpkin pie.