Little House on the Prairie: Full Color Edition (Little House, 3)

I remember these books from my childhood and the story still remains in my heart and mind. The main story of embarking on a westward journey, setting up a homestead and enduring all of the struggles of that lifestyle is still profound and moving. It will inspire any child.

However, while I realize that this is a great book that sends the reader back in time, it could have benefited from some serious editing. There are so many digressions into extremely detailed subjects that most kids (or adults for that matter) cannot hold a real interest in. In fact, it sometimes reads as a historical account or a technical manual rather than a work of fiction. I am sure these details were extremely important to the author but they are hard to get through as a reader. I was surprised to feel this way since I remember loving these stories as a child. Perhaps I skimmed those parts...

I do realize that this type of writing was more acceptable back when this was originally published. I also realize that these details lend the story an honesty and accuracy that many stories lack. Plus this type of detail is useful for collective memory. However, if you are planning to buy this book to read to your child out loud be prepared to skip over these parts or fumble through an in-depth account of wagon axles and other similar technical details that drone on for several pages at a time.

I still feel that the main story has a lot to offer but wanted to warn others about my experience who, like me, many have forgotten the content of the story and only have an idealized memory of this book. There aren't a lot of balanced reviews about this book so I wanted to be a voice on here.