Summary: This book is a historical fiction book about a little girl named Laura who traveled in a covered wagon across the giant prairie. Laura’s Pa, Ma, and her big sister Mary and the families bulldog Jack tagged along. They traveled searching for the perfect piece of land for them to build a house and call home. The book illustrated what a daily life on the trail would look like, sleeping outside, cooking food on a fire and the overall experience of living in the late 1800’s.
Personal Review: I think this is a very cute book. The book is great to show students what living in the 1800’s would be like. I thought the illustrations were cute and very inviting. I love how Mom and Dad were Ma and Pa very true to the time.
Classroom extensions: Students could get into groups and have a discussion on if they lived in the late 1800’s where would they move to and why. Another great activity for the students would be to have the students make a list of the things that they would pack when moving and a list that they think Laura packed and compare. ( )

This book was great! I liked the plot and how it gave us insight into history and how things used to be, through the use of pictures and words. The book is about a little girl named Laura, who travels by covered wagon, with her family. The plot is interesting because it isn’t something that we see today. That ties into the illustrations in this book. For example, it shows Laura and her family in the covered Wagon. Nowadays, all we see are cars. I also like the plot because her family was traveling to find themselves a place to build their house. Today, people usually buy a house or buy a piece of land, but our reasons for buying houses in a certain places today are different than they used to be. This book also showed the difference between today and long ago, regarding how they got from place to place. Not only did they travel on a covered wagon, but also they had no roads. For example, one page says, “when the sun rose, they were driving across the prairie. There was no road to drive on, so Pet and Patty, the two gentle mustangs, waded through the grass.” Along with this was an image of the mustangs guiding the covered wagon through the grass. I also enjoyed the word choice and vocabulary in this book. It helped me to paint a picture in my mind because it was very expressive and detailed. For example, the word, “waded,” helped me to visualize how the mustangs lead the wagon through the grass. The main idea of this book is to show how things used to be and how they are different in today’s world. ( )

I enjoyed this book for it's plot and illustrations. I liked that he plot is organized and moves in chronological order. For example, the story begins with the family traveling in their covered wagon across the country then follows them as they begin to build their home. The plot was realistic and believable.
I liked that the illustrations were appropriate for the book and believe they enhanced the text. The illustrations help the readers determine the setting and time period of the book. The illustrations depict the characters wearing "old" clothes such as bonnets and driving a covered wagon. These illustrations date the story as being from a different time period.
The main purpose of this text is to describe how American pioneers lived in the late 1800s.

Writing: engaging, organized, flows, paced well, etc.
Characters: believable, well-developed, etc.
Point of view: first person (I), third person (he/she), etc.
Plot: organized, pace, suspense/tension, conflict, etc.
Illustrations: enhance the story, style fits the written text, appropriate to the mood of the story, etc. ( )

A great introduction to the beloved Little House series. Wonderful pictures to help illustrate a bygone era for young children. Great to read along with the Little House first chapter book series. ( )

Book summary- this is a story of a girl and family and there quest across the midwest.
Content summary- historical fiction, family