From: Kate McDowell <mcdowell>
Date: Thu, 13 Jan 2000 10:22:47 -0600 (CST)

After reading The Birchbark House, I went back and read Little House in the Big Woods. As I see it, the strengths and weaknesses of the two books are the same. I think some of the shortcomings that have been discussed in relationship to The Birchbark House are the same shortcomings that writing in the Little House books have always had. Episodic chapters, some flatness of character... in both, these elements are secondary to a child perspective as she learns about daily life in her world.

Since many of us read the Little House books as children and are reading The Birchbark House as adults, I wonder if it's too easy for us to remember the Little House books as better than they were.

Not flaming Laura Ingalls Wilder,

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Kate McDowell mcdowell at hera.itg.uiuc.edu Children's Librarian The Urbana Free Library Urbana, IL
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Received on Thu 13 Jan 2000 10:22:47 AM CST