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- Verified Buyer
This is the fifth of nine books in the "Little House" historical fiction series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. The book starts with the news, in the first chapter, that Laura's older sister Mary has gone blind. The information is related matter-of-factly, "Her blue eyes were still beautiful, but they did not know what was before them, and Mary herself could never look through them again to tell Laura what she was thinking without saying a word." (p. 2)Laura has to become Mary's eyes and see for her, describing in detail what she is seeing so that Mary, too, can "see." The perceptive reader understands how central this experience, this role, was in shaping the future author of this series of books which are enduring across generations of readers, young and old.Much later in the book, in the chapter, "On the Pilgrim Way," a much beloved, Reverend Alden is visiting, passing through with a very young (boy preacher) Reverend Stuart, and has just said to Ma, "I am sorry indeed, Sister Ingalls, to see the affliction that has come to Mary."The reply comes, "Yes, Brother Alden," Ma answered sadly, "Sometimes it is hard to be resigned to God's will. We all had the scarlet fever in our place on Plum Creek, and for a while it was hard to get along. But I'm thankful that all the children were spared to us. Mary is a great comfort to me, Brother Alden. She has never once repined."Brother Alden extends encouragement and comfort, "Mary is a rare soul, and a lesson to all of us...We must remember that whom the Lord loveth, He chasteneth, and a brave spirit will turn all our afflictions to good. I don't know whether you and Brother Ingalls know that there are colleges for the blind. There is one in Iowa."The account continues, "Ma took tight hold of the edge of the dishpan. Her face startled Laura. Her gentle voice sounded choked and hungry. She asked, 'How much does it cost?'"In this book, perhaps more than the other books in the series, the author develops the subtleties of what the Ingalls family is all about, the close interrelationships of its members, their self-sacrificing devotion to one another. With the news that there are colleges for the blind, Laura determines to work hard so that the family can afford to send Mary to one, a theme that carries throughout other books in the series.The author does a nice job of developing the central characters, especially Mary, whose blindness does not in any manner stop her from being a valuable, contributing member of the family. For example, it is Mary who warms and entertains baby Grace on her lap in the rocking chair by the fire, a repeated sweet scene.Mary is mentally sharp and keeps the free-spirited, free-wheeling Laura on her toes, particularly when it comes to being truthful and describing accurately what she (Laura) is seeing. When Laura tells her the road in front of them has disappeared, Mary objects, saying that is impossible. Laura struggles to explain. In the chapter, "The Shanty on the Claim," Laura describes the shanty, which is papered with black tar paper fastened with yellow lath strips as "tiger-striped." Mary corrects her and points out that tigers are yellow with black stripes.Laura gets her first glimpse of her future husband Almanzo Wilder, who along with his older brother Royal, passes the Ingalls family, the Wilder boys standing in a wagon, driving a beautiful, matched set of horses. Laura's attention is consumed completely by the beautiful horses, and she seems to scarcely notice the young men.We cover this series, as well as the prequel series (The Martha Years, The Charlotte Years, The Caroline Years) and the sequel series (The Rose Years) in our home school curriculum with my grandchildren, who are currently 11, 8 and 6. My grandson enjoys the books at least as much as my granddaughters.
