Little House in Brookfield: (Little House Series: The Caroline Years)

From School Library Journal
Grade 3-6?Set in the 1840s, when Brookfield, WI, was a frontier town rapidly increasing in population, this story is the first in yet another series of "Little House" books. It focuses on Caroline Quiner (mother of Laura Ingalls Wilder) as a six-year-old in a family of six children recently left fatherless. Their loving mother brings the grieving family through a difficult winter and into a springtime of hope and anticipation as they work together to cope with the great emptiness left by their father's death. The youngsters experience apprehension concerning the first day of school and the embarrassment of wearing worn clothing and shoes with holes. No matter what the difficulty, Mother and Grandmother kindly and firmly guide the children to accept and make the very best of their situation. They relish the special Christmas bread that Mother bakes and appreciate the kindness of helpful neighbors. As the family survives the hardships of rural-frontier life, they grow in strength, experience, and love for one another. The story works well as historical fiction, giving great attention to interesting details of daily events. Black-and-white drawings provide a clear extension of the text. This warm family story follows nicely in the style of the "Little House" books.?Toni Dean, Patchogue-Medford Library, NYCopyright 1998 Reed Business Information, Inc.

Book Description
Spirit of the Western FrontierMeet Caroline Quiner, the little girl who would grow up to be Laura Ingalls Wilder's mother.It's 1845 in the bustling frontier town of Brookfield, Wisconsin. Five-year-old Caroline lives in a frame house at the edge of town. Caroline's father was lost at sea the year before, and her close-knit family is struggling to cope without him. Each day brings Caroline new responsibilities and new adventures as she strives to help Mother all she can.Little House in Brookfield is the first book in The Caroline Years, an ongoing series about another spirited girl from America's most beloved pioneer family.She’s known best as Caroline Ingalls, Laura’s Ma, in the classic Little House books. Now travel back in time to the 1840’s to the bustling pioneer town of Brookfield, Wisconsin. Caroline, who is just five, lives in a comfortable frame house with her mother, her grandmother, and her five brothers and sisters. Her father was lost at sea the year before, and the family is learning to adjust to life on their own. Caroline knows she must do everything she can to help the little family through this trying time.

Little House in Brookfield marks the launch of an on-going series about the adventures of Caroline Quiner, who would grow up to be Ma Ingalls in the Little House books. Written in the classic tradition of the Little House and the Rocky Ridge books, and based on diaries, letters, and other historical papers, these books offer a glimpse into America's adventurous past, as seen through the eyes of another girl from America's beloved frontier family.

Card catalog description
Young Caroline Quiner, who would grow up to become Laura Ingalls Wilder's mother, and her family survive their first year without Father in the frontier town of Brookfield, Wisconsin.

About the Author
Maria D. Wilkes first read the Little House books as a young girl and has been fascinated by pioneer history ever since.She did extensive research on the Quiner, Ingalls, and Wilder families, studied original sources and family letters and diaries, and worked in close consultation with several historians and the Laura Ingalls Wilder estate as she wrote the Caroline Years books.She lives in New Jersey with her husband, Peter, and her daughters, Grace and Natalie.


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Gr 3-6Set in the 1840s, when Brookfield, WI, was a frontier town rapidly increasing in population, this story is the first in yet another series of "Little House" books. It focuses on Caroline Quiner (mother of Laura Ingalls Wilder) as a six-year-old in a family of six children recently left fatherless. Their loving mother brings the grieving family through a difficult winter and into a springtime of hope and anticipation as they work together to cope with the great emptiness left by their father's death. The youngsters experience apprehension concerning the first day of school and the embarrassment of wearing worn clothing and shoes with holes. No matter what the difficulty, Mother and Grandmother kindly and firmly guide the children to accept and make the very best of their situation. They relish the special Christmas bread that Mother bakes and appreciate the kindness of helpful neighbors. As the family survives the hardships of rural-frontier life, they grow in strength, experience, and love for one another. The story works well as historical fiction, giving great attention to interesting details of daily events. Black-and-white drawings provide a clear extension of the text. This warm family story follows nicely in the style of the "Little House" books.Toni Dean, Patchogue-Medford Library, NY


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