Little House in the Big Woods
Recommended. Age: 7+. A Catholic review of this book for parents.
Our review
Laura is a little girl who lives in a log house in the woods a long time ago. Her family works hard all year to have food for winter. They are thankful, they obey Ma and Pa, and they have fun with music and stories. Two old words in the book are unkind to other people, and animals are hunted for food. It is a good book for the whole family. A warm picture of a family that works, prays and is grateful for small things. Father and mother are loved and obeyed. Two things need a parent's word: a pair of period racial slurs, and a Sunday that is all rules and no Mass.
For parents
Read aloud from five. Independent reading from seven or eight. Catholic curricula place it between grade 2 and grade 4. Before you start, know that 'darkey' appears in a song Pa sings and 'Injun' is used. Skip or correct them aloud, and say plainly that every person is made in God's image (CCC 1934). Children are whipped twice for disobedience, and butchering is described. The Ingalls Sunday is a strict Protestant Sabbath. Explain that for Catholics the Lord's Day centers on the Mass and is a day of joy and rest (CCC 2177, 2185).