Tuesday 5 May 2015

Top Ten Picks ~ Prairie Pioneers



Here are our top picks on pioneers, especially the prairie pioneers!


What You Know First, by Patricia MacLachlan
Beautiful, poignant book about the love of a little girl for the prairies. Not actually set in pioneer times, but it lets us take a glimpse into prairie life. The wide prairies are a special place of their own; when we moved from the prairies in Manitoba to Ontario, we, unfortunately, didn't think of taking some prairie dirt along : ).


All the Places to Love, by Patricia MacLachlan
Depicts poetically a family's love for the land surrounding them - "Where else," Papa says, "is soil so sweet?".

(Today, hearing the birds singing outside in the warm, balmy sunshine and the bells chiming from a nearby church, this small southern Ontario town is the place I love best.)



~Sod Houses on the Great Plains, by Glen Rounds
Very fun and educational! The author himself was even born in one!





~ Little House in the Big Woods, by Laura Ingalls Wilder. And, of course, the entire series!


~The Little House Cookbook, by Barbara Walker
Well-researched and so engaging that it is hard to put down. Scrumptious recipes, too.


~ Caddie Woodlawn, by Carol Ryrie Brink, and its sequel Magical Melons.
Carol Ryrie Brink is one of my favourite children's authors! Caddie Woodlawn was her grandmother.
If you are ever in Wisconsin, you may want to visit the house where Caddie and Tom and Warren once lived.
http://www.dunnhistory.org/caddie/


~ Prairie Primer, by Caroline Stutson
Not just for younger kids - the large illustrations render such a wonderful impression of pioneer life.


~ Old Yeller, by Fred Gipson
On the frontier in Texas, in a wild and beautiful land! A beloved, classic children's story about the stray dog that was called Old Yeller. Especially wonderful for boys.


~ Frontier Home, by Raymond Bial
Interesting photos and text show various aspects of pioneer life.




~ Story of the Homestead Act, by Conrad Stein
The run was on - for as little as an application fee!




COMING UP:  Runner-ups (more great books!) and the crafts they inspired us to create!

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