The Little House by Virginia Lee Burton

Book Summary
The Little House tells the tale of a small house built by a man and his wife in the country. The man tells the house that she will never be sold and will be kept in the family forever. As the years go by, the little house sees her countryside turn into a small city, then expanded to an even bigger city. She begins to fall apart when no one wants to live in her anymore. Decades later, the great-great-granddaughter of the house happens to pass by and decides to make it her home. She moves it out of the city and back to the country where they all live happily ever after.

My Thoughts
I really enjoyed this book. I became attached to the little house. I was happy when she was happy and sad when she was sad. The illustrations were very important in visualizing what life was like through the years that the little house sat on her little hill. Seeing the city built around her as well as reading it made the story all that more interesting. Although this book was a little long for a preschooler, my 4 year old daughter also sat through the entire story waiting to see what would happen to the little house at the end.

Library Usage
As mentioned before, this book is a little long so it would not hold a group of childrens' attention long enough for a storytime. I would definitely recommend this book and include it in a reader's advisory for Pre-K through 1st Grade.

Journal Reviews
School Library Journal, 2002
"Virginia Lee Burton's The Little House begins with a promise, evolves into a heart-tugging drama, and closes on a pleasing note. A simple story. A simple message."

Elleman, B. (2002). Virginia Lee Burton: an American classic. School Library Journal, 48(8), 48-51. Retrieved September 16, 2009, from Library Lit & Inf Full Text database.