Little House in Brookfield (Little House Series: The Caroline Years) by Maria D. Wilkes

From the Publisher

It's 1845 and Caroline lives in the bustling frontier town of Brookfield, Wisconsin. With trips to town, taking care of farm chores, and getting through the first frost, Caroline is busy discovering new things every day!

Children's Literature

This abridged-edition paperback introduces the reader to young Caroline, the future mother of Laura Ingalls Wilder of "Little House" fame. It presents scenes from Caroline's early life, including episodes at home, at school, at church, and in the outdoors. The chapters follow the seasons of one complete year, through the joys and sorrows of life for a fatherless farming family in Wisconsin at that time (1845). There is little in the way of plot, but evocative descriptions of incidents, such as the time Caroline fixed milk-toast with cinnamon for breakfast, illustrate her daily life, including chores, games, food, social life, and family bonds. Caroline, at first seemingly too perfect, soon enough shows her human foibles in this engaging narrative. Readers who enjoy the original "Little House" books will appreciate these later titles about Laura's extended family, though the shortness of this edition makes it more suited to a younger reader or listener. This is Book 1 of "The Caroline Years" in the "Little House" series. The abridged title unfortunately gives no information about the unabridged version (roughly three times the length of this book). It is similarly taciturn about the author, who has researched the history of the related families; her books fill out the history of the years before the popular series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. There are a few inconsistencies; for example, Caroline's sisters are each a year older in the abridged version. Bonus materials (not found in the longer edition) include a song lyric, a timeline, a recipe, instructions for a period game, and two chapters from the next book in the series, Little Town at the Crossroads. A family tree at the endidentifies Caroline as Laura's mother. A good read for those enchanted with this family and this period in America's settlement of the west. Reviewer: Christina M. Desai

School Library Journal

Gr 3-6Set in the 1840s, when Brookfield, WI, was a frontier town rapidly increasing in population, this story is the first in yet another series of "Little House" books. It focuses on Caroline Quiner (mother of Laura Ingalls Wilder) as a six-year-old in a family of six children recently left fatherless. Their loving mother brings the grieving family through a difficult winter and into a springtime of hope and anticipation as they work together to cope with the great emptiness left by their father's death. The youngsters experience apprehension concerning the first day of school and the embarrassment of wearing worn clothing and shoes with holes. No matter what the difficulty, Mother and Grandmother kindly and firmly guide the children to accept and make the very best of their situation. They relish the special Christmas bread that Mother bakes and appreciate the kindness of helpful neighbors. As the family survives the hardships of rural-frontier life, they grow in strength, experience, and love for one another. The story works well as historical fiction, giving great attention to interesting details of daily events. Black-and-white drawings provide a clear extension of the text. This warm family story follows nicely in the style of the "Little House" books.Toni Dean, Patchogue-Medford Library, NY

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