Fans, we are deep into Little House in the Big Woods. We have learned so many things about being pioneer life: how to smoke meat, the importance of storing food for the winter, that Christmas is awesome (Laura got a rag doll--thank goodness), that Sundays are boring, and that you probably should have a fondness for all things maple (sugar, syrup). We are nearly at the end of LHBW which is why we were searching for Little House on the Prairie this morning at the library. It was not there. We learned from the interwebs that, as it happens, the St. Louis Park branch doesn't actually own a copy, and that copies housed at every other nearby branch were checked out, or in transit, or otherwise unavailable. Humph. We put in a request for it, and the third installment in the series, Farmer Boy, straight away.
In the meantime, Julie queried her friend Anne and known fan of all things Little House as to whether she had a copy of LHOP that we might borrow. No dice; only By the Shores of Silver Lake and These Happy Golden Years. But, Anne did suggest--in a very pioneering way, we might add--that we might find LHOP at Half Price Books. Brilliant. So this afternoon, we walked over to the nearby Half Price Books to see if we might find a copy there. No dice, save in a boxed set, overpriced given its water damage and mustiness. But bambini were told they could each select a book, but that Julie and Ted had veto power. Clara gravitated practically instantly to princess books festooned with battery-powered, twinkling, and trilling wands and tiaras. By gravitated we mean she managed to open the packaging of one before being stopped by Ted who vetoed all in that vein by declaring that we were not buying a book with "garbage" on it. We left with two more Fancy Nancys: the Christmas one and a pre-reader spin-off--and a B. Bears DVD from the clearance shelf!
So now we wait for the Hennepin County Library System to deliver us. Sort of like pioneers waiting for Christmas, or Monday, or spring.
I wish we could teleport our boxed (paperback) set of the books. I bought it for Betsy years ago when she was at the read to yourself stage. I loved reading them also. We both still love to read, but have graduated to sharing the Game of Thrones books.
ReplyDeleteYou had mentioned The Witch of Blackbird Pond earlier. That was one of my faves years ago. Another great book is The Wolves of Willoughby Chase by Joan Aiken. You might want to read through it first as it might be a little scary for Clara right now. My final recommendation for possible in a few years is A Lantern in Her Hand by Bess Streeter Aldritch. I may just have to go and find my copy for a quick re-read!
Love - Aunt Janie
I have to get to Game of Thrones. I have the first one in my electronic pile. My copy of The Witch of Blackbird Pond is my second, a gift from a friend. (I have very, very few of the books I read as a child that were the copies I actually read. But, this gives me something to do in used bookstores. I like to look for those volumes, the editions I read--those covers, etc.) Will tuck away Wolves and Lantern for a few years down the road.
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