Farmer Boy

Little House #2

by Laura Ingalls Wilder, Garth Williams (Illustrator)

While Laura Ingalls grows up in a little house on the western prairie, Almanzo Wilder is living on a big farm in New York State. Here Almanzo and his brother and sisters help with the summer planting and fall harvest. In winter there is wood to be chopped and great slabs of ice to be cut from the river and stored. Time for fun comes when the jolly tin peddler visits, or best of all, when the fair comes to town.

This is Laura Ingalls Wilder's beloved story of how her husband Almanzo grew up as a farmer boy far from the little house where Laura lived.

Genres: Classics, Historical Fiction, Childrens, Fiction, Young Adult, Historical, Middle Grade

372 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 1933

About the author

Laura Ingalls Wilder was an American author, journalist, and educator whose "Little House" series transformed the arduous reality of the American frontier into a foundational pillar of children's literature. Born in the "Big Woods" of Wisconsin to Charles and Caroline Ingalls, Laura’s childhood was a nomadic journey through the heart of a shifting nation. Her family moved across Kansas, Missouri, Minnesota, Iowa, and the Dakota Territory—often staying just ahead of legal evictions or chasing the promise of fertile soil. These years were marked by extreme hardship, including the "Hard Winter" of 1880–81 in De Smet, South Dakota, where the family survived near-starvation. Despite the struggle, these experiences provided the raw material for her eight-volume record of pioneer life, a series that has since been translated into over forty languages.
Before becoming a world-renowned novelist in her sixties, Wilder lived several distinct lives. At fifteen, she became a teacher in one-room prairie schools, a job she took primarily to support her family financially. In 1885, she married Almanzo Wilder, beginning a partnership that endured fire, paralysis from diphtheria, and the heartbreaking loss of an infant son. These trials eventually led them to Mansfield, Missouri, where they established Rocky Ridge Farm. It was here that Laura developed her voice as a professional writer, serving as a columnist and editor for the Missouri Ruralist for over a decade.
The Great Depression and the 1929 stock market crash wiped out the Wilders’ savings, providing the ultimate catalyst for Laura to pen her memoirs. Her daughter, Rose Wilder Lane—a successful author in her own right—encouraged her mother to adapt her autobiography, Pioneer Girl, into a format more suitable for children. This resulted in a complex and often rocky literary collaboration; while Lane provided the professional "style," Wilder provided the "substance" and narrative heart. The first book, Little House in the Big Woods, was published in 1932 when Laura was sixty-five.
Wilder’s legacy is a blend of immense literary success and modern historical scrutiny. While her books remain staples in classrooms for their vivid descriptions of 19th-century domestic life, her portrayals of Native Americans and African Americans have led to recent reevaluations. In 2018, the American Library Association renamed the "Laura Ingalls Wilder Medal" to the "Children's Literature Legacy Award" to reflect these evolving cultural sensitivities. Nonetheless, Wilder remains a monumental figure in American letters, a woman who successfully "saved the American soul" by documenting the grit, faith, and unyielding persistence of the pioneer spirit.

Reviews

[Miranda Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Are you hungry yet?

Much of Laura's childhood was spent in near-starvation. While they always had something to eat, it was never enough for the family to be satisfied.

Thus when Laura wrote about Almanzo (her future husband)'s childhood, she focused on the most idyllic parts and what she wanted for her own childhood and her child - which was a full stomach and stable home.

"Almanzo simply ate. He ate ham and chicken and turkey, and dressing and cranberry jelly; he ate potatoes and gravy, succotash, baked beans and boiled beans and onions, and white bread and rye ’n’ injun bread, and sweet pickles and jam and preserves. Then he drew a long breath, and he ate pie."

I swear, my stomach rumbled every ten minutes!

After a book of this, I began searching for a cookbook (and luckily, there are books aplenty based on this series: The Little House Cookbook, My Little House Cookbook - which I cannot wait to try)

Now, the entire plot of Farmer Boy did not solely revolve around food - we also get a look into farm life from the perspective of a wealthy farmer.


Almanzo's father loved farming and did his best to impress that love to his son - with great success!

"There was no time to lose, no time to waste in rest or play. The life of the earth comes up with a rush in the springtime."

Reading as Almanzo completed farm chores and tamed his oxen kindled my brief (but fervent) desire to become a farmer in fifth grade (well, until the impracticality of city-life ruined that dream!)

That being said, not even Almanzo' s cushy childhood was left untouched by the harshness of living in the late 1800s.

"If the teacher has to thrash you again, Royal, I’ll give you a thrashing you’ll remember."

There was one crazy scene where their teacher cracked a whip around the school room due to some seriously rowdy teens (could you imagine the look on the PTA Mom's faces?)

While this one was not as endearing nor as thoughtful as Laura's other novels, I certainly enjoyed reading it. This was fun way to learn about life a hundred years ago.

Audiobook Comments
Read by Cherry Jones and accompanied by Paul Woodiel on the fiddle. Love this audiobook.

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[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a child, this was my least favorite Little House book as it wasn't about Laura. But now as an adult, I have grown to like and appreciate it as another perspective on pioneer living. Laura Ingalls Wilder honors and respects her husband by telling his story too. The story of Almanzo Wilder’s childhood days shows another farm family’s lifestyle in America's earlier days. The juxtaposition between the life of a homesteading family and the life of an established farm family in a settled part of the country shows both the similarities and differences of each way of life.

The reader also is able to compare and contrast Laura and Almanzo’s childhoods and upbringing. There certainly are differences in gender roles and responsibilities, education, and creature comforts, but there are also many similarities. Both are raised by parents with strong morals and values, and as the head of the family, the fathers especially are deeply respected and admired. Each is seen as smart and resourceful, and both men love the land and the freedom and independence the farming life brings. The mothers are also respected and valued for their wisdom and comfort and are portrayed as strong and capable individuals in their own right.

Farmer Boy gives us a not only a picture of Almanzo’s upbringing, but also of his personality. His love of horses came at an early age as well as his appreciation of good home cooking and the simple pleasures of a fine meal. His family and community shaped him into a hard-working and determined man of fine character.

While it’s still the one I re-read the least, I've gained a quiet appreciation for Almanzo and for Laura's wise choice to include his story.

[Jess the Shelf-Declared Bibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved looking into Almanza’s childhood. Reading about how so many things are built, grown, harvested and stores were so interesting!!! I also enjoyed watching him grow into his own, and the ending was the icing on the cake.

[Darla · Rating 5 out of 5]

We just finished! This was my first time reading from the Full-Color Collector's Edition. What a treat to see Garth William's iconic illustrations richly embellished with color.

Both J and I were enthralled by Almanzo's stories of living on a New York farm. When we finished, it was time to name favorite chapters.

J chose SCHOOL DAYS and cited the epic climax when Mr. Corse gets the best of a pack of schoolyard thugs in a most surprising way. An unforgettable experience for Almanzo.

I chose KEEPING HOUSE due to the blacking-brush incident. Almanzo and his siblings are left to hold down the fort for a week. When Eliza Jane gets too bossy, Almanzo's grip on the blacking brush has him shaking in his boots.

We may revisit the Little House series again in the future. It won't be hard to convince me! For now, our next read will be Johnny Tremain. The edition I checked out from the library has an introduction by Nathan Hale -- the graphic novel author.


From November of 2017 (audiobook)🎧
What a delightful way to revisit this classic series. Cherry Jones does a lovely job narrating this story about Almanzo Wilder as a young boy on the farm. His parents are loving, but firm and so industrious. They are so efficient at using their resources and providing what they need for the family and the farm. They waste not, want not and strive for excellence in their work. Inspiring!

[Wendy Darling · Rating 5 out of 5]

My annual re-read, this time with Heidi! :)

My favorite of the Little House books from start to finish, but especially the chapter where Ma and Pa go away for a week and the house falls into disarray as the children eat cake, slice watermelon, blacken the parlor wall, and most importantly, use up all the sugar making ice cream. Still no other author has ever captured the life of pioneers in quite this way, and the good eats will make your mouth water!

[Sheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed listening to this engagingly narrated and enchanting story. (I won’t recap my thoughts on the story; you can read my review of the print version here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)

Listening to the audio version after reading the book reinforced the story for me and many scenes definitely stood out more. Additionally, language differences also stood out more when heard instead of read. One instance is the family’s use of be (as in “Be you sick, Almanzo?”) instead of the conjugations of to be that we use today. Another was the pronunciation of giddap; this was the first time I had heard it pronounced that way. I had read it as the more common and familiar giddyup so of course it sounded funny when I heard it. Both of these examples led me to believe that the Wilders were more formal than their counterparts, the Ingalls. It’s another small but noteworthy point of comparison when learning about Almanzo’s childhood versus Laura’s.

I have a hard time with audio books, I find myself tuning out and daydreaming when I should be listening, but I will try the others in the Little House series. Cherry Jones is easy and enjoyable to listen to; you can’t help but want to listen to her read more of the story.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

I loved all the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, in particular "Little House in the Big Woods", "Little Town on the Prairie" and "These Happy Golden Years". They are books I can read and savor over and over again. But I just need to give a shout out to my absolute favorite Laura Ingalls Wilder book, and that is "Farmer Boy"--to me, Farmer Boy is the under-appreciated middle child of the Laura Ingalls collection. People forget about it just because it doesn't start with "Little" or end with "Prairie". It is about Almanzo, who Laura eventually marries. There are several reasons why I love this book more than the others:

1) Almanzo and his family are loaded. Well, compared to Laura they are. They run a much bigger farm than she does and the father is something of a gentleman farmer, not like the wild Charles who is all over the place and doesn't know what he's doing (let's be honest a lot of the books are based around the fact that Charles is a moron--first they leave the big woods, where the rest of their family is. Then they're stuck somewhere on the friggin prairie and have to ford the friggin river and almost lose Jack. Then they're living in some kind of underground burrow. Then they're starving through the winter because Charles is an idiot who can't provide for his family. This never happens to Almanzo's dad.)

2) They take you through the whole farming season, from trashing the hay to cutting up the ice, to gathering potatoes in great, great detail. It's really a pleasure to read. It's also a big farm, like I mentioned so they're more commercial than the Ingalls' farm. You get to see the process of how, for example, they sell their butter, which is pretty cool.

3) THE FOOD. I've never come across another book that is as lushly descriptive as this one in terms of food. I thought Harry Potter might do it at some point but it proved to disappoint in that respect. Being loaded + working from 5 AM in the fields before the days the dangers of saturated fats or Atkins were known = glorious food descriptions. I can't even begin to recount them but I urge that you check this book out for yourself. I'd also make sure to check it out with the original illustrations

[Cindy Rollins · Rating 5 out of 5]

Much wailing and gnashing of teeth this morning as we finished Farmer Boy. My student could not believe it was over! Going to be hard to top this one in the coming months. Not sure how many times I have read this but I am thinking five.
I believe after Little House in the Big Woods, it is the best book in the Little House series.

Goodbye, Almanzo. Not sure when we will meet again.

[H (trying to keep up with GR friends) Balikov · Rating 5 out of 5]

I wasn’t sure what to expect since this is listed as a part of the Little House on the Prairie series, but it does not involve the same family. In fact, it is all about life on a farm in “upstate” New York. I thought I knew a little about farming. I’ve been on farms; I’ve plowed fields (with a tractor). I seen how dairy farms operate and how baby pigs are “prepped” for the market. I had little idea how (when 90% of all Americans lived the rural farm life) difficult and chancy life was and how self-sufficient each farm had to be.

The focus of the book is on the youngest member of the family, Almanzo. His daily life: school; chores; family time; and special events. For others, this may be disconcerting or even boring. For me, it was a delight to take such a deep dive into how rural life was carried on in mid-nineteenth century America.

There are far more details here than in the other “Little House” books. That was part of my delight as was my growing understanding of how little “spare time” there was on a 19th century farm. Another part was the personal growth of 9 year-old Almanzo during the year covered in this book.

Below are some of the details
"Mother was making soft-soap, too. All the winter’s ashes had been saved in a barrel; now water was poured over them, and lye was dripping out of a little hole in the bottom of the barrel. Mother measured the lye into a caldron, and added pork rinds and all the waste pork fat and beef fat that she had been saving all winter. The caldron boiled, and the lye and the fat made soap."

"But when they were all tucked under the buffalo-skin robes, with hot bricks at their feet, Father let the prancing horses go, and Almanzo forgot everything else."

"For a long time they talked and argued. Shining tinware and piles of rags were all over the porch. For every pile of rags that Nick Brown added to the big pile, Mother asked more tinware than he wanted to trade her. They were both having a good time, joking and laughing and trading.”

"Snow was falling next morning when Almanzo rode with Father to the timber lot. Large feathery flakes made a veil over everything, and if you were alone and held your breath and listened, you could hear the soft, tiny sound of their falling. Father and Almanzo tramped through the falling snow in the woods, looking for straight, small oaks. When they found one, Father chopped it down. He chopped off all the limbs, and Almanzo piled them up neatly. Then they loaded the small logs on the bobsled. After that they looked for two small crooked trees to make curved runners. They must be five inches through, and six feet tall before they began to curve. It was hard to find them. In the whole timber lot there were no two trees alike. “You wouldn’t find two alike in the whole world, son,” Father said. “Not even two blades of grass are the same. Everything is different from everything else, if you look at it.”"

"All winter long, on stormy nights, there would be threshing to do. When the wheat was threshed, there would be the oats, the beans, the Canada peas. There was plenty of grain to feed the stock, plenty of wheat and rye to take to the mill for flour. Almanzo had harrowed the fields, he had helped in the harvest, and now he was threshing."

[Dave Schaafsma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Listened to ¾ of this in January, and now, two months later, finished it today, also in the car. And pretty much loved it. This is not about Laura's family, though it’s technically listed #3 IN the Little House on the Prairie series. It functions as a kind of contrast in that it is a wealthier farm life experience in New England vs. the Midwestern farm life Laura lived, seemingly near starvation. This book is about her future' husband Almanzo Wilder's family.

As with Laura’s family, she describes with practically ethnographic detail what nineteenth-century American farm life was like: Gathering potatoes, cutting up ice, making and selling butter. Kids work on these farms, they learn how to do things, they develop humane relationships with animals (and each other). And when they are done working, they then have seemingly breathless fun together. They make sleds, they make harnesses, they hook them up to a team of horses, and they learn how to trot these horses safely. When they are CHILDREN.

Can anyone imagine a holiday more joyful than Laura Ingalls Wilder describes each and every Christmas??!! But Laura one year gets a PENNY for Christmas; Almanzo gets, in addition to a lot of other things, a KNIFE!?

The food they grow and eat is also a contrast to Laura’s farm life, with sumptuous and meticulously described meals, like a certain ham dinner. And there’s another contrasting story; at one point Almanzo’s mother and father leave for a few days. Some work gets done by the kids, but they use up all the sugar making ice cream, they eat cake and ice cream and watermelon to the point of making themselves sick, they do some property damage, and so on. Amusing.

In the end, Almanzo is given the opportunity to sell bales of hay in town. He is TEN years old. And when he is given the opportunity to apprentice as a wheelwright (look it up, and in a DICTIONARY, kids, that was good enough for me, it’ll be good enough for you, you don’t need google . . ), well, you know from the title what he chooses to do. Great to listen to, especially with the incomparable Cherry Jones reading!

[Tatiana · Rating 4 out of 5]

SO MUCH WORK! And they all seem to enjoy it, even create MORE work for themselves instead of looking for opportunities to have some leisure time (or a nap at least). I would have never made it in those olden days. I am just too lazy.

[Janssen]

Oh man, it was so amazing to read this book again. I love this whole series so so much. And it made it even better than my daughter loved it too. On to Little House in the Big Woods!

[Zuli · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5✨
Who am I to complain about anything in my life...

[Manybooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

So for me personally and as an older adult who never did encounter Laura Ingalls Wilder’s Little House on the Prairie series as a child and in fact only managed to read Farmer Boy just recently (and which contents recount the 19th century New York State boyhood of Laura Ingalls Wilder’s husband Almanzo), what I have found very much interesting and enlightening has been to notice and realise how in Farmer Boy much more advanced with regard to farming in general the Wilder family in 19th century New York State is when compared with and to the Ingalls family (at pretty well the same time period) farming or at least trying to farm as pioneers in areas that are still virgin prairie so to speak and thus need to be cleared and where it is often if not generally fortunate if families have one or at the most two pigs for butchering (and usually just for home consumption, not ever really for selling at market).

For while in Laura Ingalls Wilder’s memoirs of her own childhood, farming life on a homestead, trying to grow wheat etc. on very recently cleared and plowed land is an almost constant struggle with many potential calamities, including grasshopper infestations, drought, fire and the like, in Farmer Boy, Laura Ingalls Wilder clearly shows and demonstrates that her husband’s boyhood as the youngest son of an obviously wealthy, successful and above all well established farmer is considerably, is much less stressful, and that yes indeed, even when the weather plays potential havoc, actual crop failures seem much less of a potential reality in a relatively developed area like New York State which no longer is considered newly claimed and in contrast to the Ingalls struggling with their homesteads on the Minnesota and later on the Dakota prairies, where if things go wrong there is often no way to fall back on previous successes and that while Almanzo Wilder might well be a farmer’s son, he also obviously and from the details presented in Farmer Boy is not really a pioneer lad like Laura Ingalls Wilder during her own childhood could be considered a pioneer girl.

A fun and engaging tale of a 19th century successful and generally well-to-do rural family is Farmer Boy, but I do think that I tend to find Almanzo Wilder’s depicted childhood not quite as engaging and as interesting as when Laura Ingalls Wilder writes about her own family and how often difficult, stressful and harsh life as a pioneer on a recently forged out of the land homestead is (or more to the point generally was) during so-called pioneer times (for as interesting as Farmer Boy has been as a personal reading experience, it is textually and in my opinion not really a tale of pioneer farming and life).

[Elise · Rating 5 out of 5]

Upon finishing Little House on the Prairie the kids and I were dying to know where the Ingalls' adventures would take them next but discovered that the next in the series focuses on Almanzo Wilder, Laura's future husband. We were immediately taken in by the descriptions of late 1800's farm life in upper New York State. We were struck in particular by the richness Almanzo's family enjoyed in comparison with the Ingalls who seemed to be moving all the time. One of my favorite features of this book is the lengthy descriptions of Almanzo's mother's cooking. That boy ate more donuts and pie than would be good for anyone not doing the the number of chores he was!

[Philip · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before I hand the reviewing reigns over to Eleanor, I wanted to say a couple things I took out of this book. (Hopefully she doesn't get too impatient.)

There's a lot in the Laura Ingalls Wilder books written for adults as well as kids. The theme of self-reliance comes through loud and clear. The difference in child-rearing... wow. Hold on:

Me: Eleanor, what does it mean to "speak when spoken to?"

E: It means, "BE QUIET UNTIL YOU ARE SPOKEN TO!!!"

Me: Do you think we should make that a rule in our house?

E: What if I need dessert?

Me: Well, you couldn't ask for it. So, should it be a rule?

E: ...I don't know...

Me: What do you think?

E: Well... if we have a question, we speak. So I don't know about that rule, dad.

Me: You mean you don't like it?

E: No...

That's exactly what I thought. Although, I'd like to add she's been sitting here very patiently waiting to review the book. She hasn't complained or said a word, and it's late. (She was kind of grumpy earlier...)

Me: Weren't you Eleanor.

E: Yeah.


Anyway (me again), like I said, there was a lot in there for grown-ups that is applicable to today.

They were at the fair, and father saw some Belgian horses:

"Father said they were Belgians. They came from a country called Belgium, in Europe. ...Father admired them very much.
'Look at that muscle! They'd pull a barn, if hitched to it.'
Almanzo asked him: 'What's the good of a horse that can pull a barn? We don't want to pull a barn. A Morgan has muscle enough to pull a wagon, and he's fast enough to pull a buggy, too!'
'You're right, son!' Father said. He looked regretfully at the big horses, and shook his head. 'It would be a waste to feed all that muscle, and we've got no use for it. You're right.'"

How apropos for today. For myself. For my country. How often have I looked at something I don't need? Something that has no practical purpose? Even Almanzo's father - the faultless, the diligent - he's even tempted at times.

Eleanor's doing such a good job of waiting for her turn. I'm not sure how to reward her. I've got one more story to tell about her before I let her write her part of the review.

Here's what I wrote down when it happened:

It is shocking, SHOCKING how much Eleanor remembers. We've been reading this book for months and months. I don't sit down and read her a chapter a night, it happens much more sporadically than that. She ALWAYS remembers what chapter we're on. Here's how it went down:

E: What's chapter 22 called?

Me: The Fall of the Year.

E: But I thought chapter 10 was called "The Turn of the Year."

Me: (I'm shocked that she remembered this, as it had been months since we read it.) What was chapter 10 about?

E: Almanzo not going to school.

So, I went back to check, and sure enough she was right. I got up, and told my wife what happened, and she was surprised too. She asked how many chapters Eleanor remembered, and I said, "I don't know." So I asked her. She went chapter 1-3 and at 4 she stopped.

E: I don't want to tell anymore.

(She was getting bored, exasperated, or just plain wanted to stop. Maybe she didn't know any more.)

Me: You don't remember?

E: I do. I just don't want to tell.

Me: (teasing) No, you don't.

E: I do.

Me: ...We'll play the WOO! WOO! WOO! game if you tell. (The WOO! WOO! WOO! game includes me throwing her into the air. ...We don't play that one as much anymore.)

E: OK! Chapter 4- Surprise. Chapter 5-Birthday. Chapter 6-Filling the Ice House. Chapter 7- Saturday Night...

She did all the way up to chapter 22 - which was the chapter we were on at the time. We'd never gone back to practice. It seems crazy to me. Seriously crazy.

Of course, there are times I send her upstairs to tell her mother something and she'll come back down and ask, "What was I supposed to tell?"

Anyway. Sorry for the long story. I know it's a review. I just had to get that story down somewhere.

THE ELEANOR REVIEW

Me: You already told me 5 stars, so why don't you tell me what the book was about. Or tell me your favorite part.

E: I liked when Almanzo was going to get Starlight.

Me: Who is Starlight?

E: A baby colt. And when he's four, Almanzo's gonna start to "gentle" him.

Me: What's "gentle him" mean?

E: I think it means "make him gentle." How do we "gentle" a colt?

Me: I don't know. What other parts did you like?

E: I also liked that he went to the county fair and that his PUMPKIN GOT A RIBBON!!!

Me: I liked that part too.

E: Why didn't it say about Royal's pets?

Me: I think because this book was mainly about Almanzo.

E: I feel like I could write a book when I grow up. I could write a book about Meeeeee... And Gwennieeeeee... And my kids. And you, when you were a little boy, and mom when she was a little girl.

Me: I think you would be very good at writing stories. What else do you want to say about the book? There was a lot in this one, right?

E: You want to take some out?

Me: I don't want to take anything out of the book.

E: Yeah. There was a lot, but it was all good. In chapter one, they went out for recess. I liked when they went out for recess. When did Star and Bright show up?

Me: I don't remember when Star and Bright showed up.

E: You aren't Almanzo.

Me: What do you mean?

E: You're typing. And Almanzo can't type. He's a little kid.

Me: Do you want to know what my favorite part is?

E: What's your favorite part? Tell us!



Me: My favorite part was the part with the teacher at the beginning. And how he dealt with those kids. The mean kids.

E: What does "dealt" mean?

Me: How he handled them. How did he handle the mean kids?

E: He WHIPPED them! HE WHIPPED EVERYBODY!!!!

Me: Well... he didn't whip everybody, just the bad kids. What were kids names that he whipped?

E: Big Bill. John.

Me: Yeah. That part was crazy. Would your teacher whip you if you were bad?

E: Mm-hmmm. Only, I'm not bad. I'm nice to her.

Me: I don't think your teacher would whip you even if you were bad. But that doesn't mean I think you should be bad, right?

E: Right.



Me: Do you want to say anything else about the book? Any other favorite parts?

E: Well, one more. In CHAPTER 2 they ate a Yuuuuummmmmyyyy dinner, called HAM. Which I love, and we have. Read the review now.

Me: Ok. Here it is.

[Katja Labonté · Rating 5 out of 5]

5+ stars (7/10 hearts). Honestly, this was never my favourite as a kid, somehow? I think Almanzo bothered me because I considered him whiny, badly-tempered, and disobedient (don’t throw any stones! I’m honestly unsure where I got that confused impression of his attitude). Upon this reread, I actually hugely enjoyed the book.

I’m not a farmer and I don’t think I’d want to be a farmer, but I’m fascinated and delighted by the picture of life on a bustling, independent farm in the 1860s. Enough to consider becoming self-sufficient? No, but enough to be inspired to do some gardening, which is a huge concession for me. I’m awed by the dedication, strength, and work ethic of this family that gets up before five, sleeps in cold bedrooms, walks 2 miles to school every day, and spends hours in manual labour. Mother and Father are some pretty amazing parents, even if one or two of their methods is a little farfetched for me, and I love the good parental relationships, even if the sibling relationships are a liiiittle lacking.

I love all the primary information, but of course the most iconic part of this book is the FOOD. This book makes me so so hungry and has me craving so many specific foods, like apple pie and sausage. Ugh. Amazing. Honestly, it’s a great read for all ages.

[Chantal · Rating 3 out of 5]

I want to like this book more than I did. Found it slow and really childish at times. It was missing something, but what I don't really know. It does however tell such a realistic story of the time being and therefor is a good representation of the time.



This book is in the 1001 Children's Books You Must Read Before You Grow Up challenge I am doing.

[Miriam Simut · Rating 5 out of 5]

2025:
Loved this reread!

2021:
Could this series get any more charming? This books is pure nostalgia, warm hugs, cozy blankets, hot chocolate, quiet evenings by a fire, just all the things that bring me joy.

[Christy · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm actually not sure if I read this one as a child, but I wanted to go ahead and read it before I got to my re-read of Little House on the Prairie. Kind of bored unfortunately, but the narrator of the audio version did a great job.

[catherine ♡ · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one and Little House on the Prairie will forever be some of my favorite childhood stories. It tells of such a realistic story, but with such a beautifully innocent touch that I think really complemented the setting and made the story unforgettable.

[Luisa Knight · Rating 5 out of 5]

Update: Watch my reel to see the book party!

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I’m hosting a children’s book party this summer and I’m thinking this book will be my theme. There’s some fun activities I can replicate, and a whole lot of good food to pull from!

The last time I read this I was a kid, so wanted to reacquaint myself with the title’s acclaimed scenes. It’s really such a good book and Father sure teaches some valuable lessons.

I know it’s common knowledge, but I’ll say it anyway - this book is not to be missed!

Ages: 5+

Content Considerations: there’s a few times a child does something wrong and doesn’t get punished for it. A side character is very spoiled - he’s not portrayed to be good.

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[Kelly]

I liked this way more than I thought I would. Some quick observations:

1. All this family does is eat and talk about eating and plan around eating.

2. The parents go on a "vacation" for a week to a family's residence 10 miles away and leave the kids alone. Sheer chaos, of course, on the part of the kids.

3. Almanzo's family is way richer than Laura's, but they also seem to work more. Everything is about the value of money to them, which, when they're not eating or talking about eating, is the thing they love talking about. And when Almanzo asks for a dime, he gets a half dollar, then is made to feel guilty about it by his dad.

4. All he wants is a damn colt. And he gets one.

5. THE DRAMA about what Almanzo will be when he grows up. He is 9-10 years old in this book and legally will live on the farm till he's 21. Seems like they should be putting that worry elsewhere for a bit.

6. Like, it was so cold in July they got snow. That's ridiculous and a detail I can't stop LOLing about.

7. WHOOOO BOY the racism and sexism. The things said about Natives in this book are cringeworthy, as are the depictions and the fact that Almanzo and his friends "play Indian." And on the sexism angle, boys are allowed to talk quietly on Sundays but girls are not allowed to talk. And they cook while boys do not.

8. So glad I live in the era of modernity because I swear, this life would bore me to death. Even if I never knew anything else.

[E.F. Buckles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another very cute story! This one was different from the Little House books that I've read so far because Almanzo lives on a farm near a town rather than the frontier, but it was still written in the same charming way that gave me all sorts of historical insights.

The characters were enjoyable once again, as well. All unique personalities, not repeats of previous characters, and I especially enjoyed the family dynamic.

Content:

Swearing: On rare occasion it's said someone swore, but the word is not written out.

Violence: The older boys at the schoolhouse are said to have beaten up and run off every teacher that tried to punish them for their misbehavior. The younger kids are therefore afraid the older boys will kill the new teacher, who is skinny and doesn't look like he can defend himself. However, the teacher gets creative and uses a borrowed bullwhip to defend himself and run the bad boys off when they try to attack him.

Other: When Almanzo's parents go away from home for a week, the kids get into a little mischief, mainly eating too much sugar and not doing their chores. This isn't without consequence though because they then have to rush and do everything when it's time for their parents to come home.

[grllopez ~ with freedom and books · Rating 5 out of 5]

This one makes me think my kids don't do enough chores around the house!
My review: Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder .

And another review: Farmer Boy by Laura Ingalls Wilder.

[Karen Witzler · Rating 5 out of 5]

I skipped this one when I was young because it was about Almanzo. I was wrong - ah the good old days when a nine year old could plough a field with an ox team they'd trained themselves and a teacher could beat unruly students with a bullwhip. Many details of life on a hardworking horse and sheep farm in upstate New York in the late 1800's.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

Kids in the 1800's had it so much harder then kids today, especially if they lived on a farm.

[Kathryn · Rating 4 out of 5]

I still didn't love it as well the first few books about Laura's childhood, perhaps because I know and love the Little House stories so well from my own childhood (I know my mom read me "Farmer Boy" but I don't really remember it). That said, I did quite enjoy and appreciate Almanzo's story this time and feel Laura deftly articulated his conundrums being on the cusp of boyhood and young-manhood, both his eagerness to do the more adult work on the farm with his father and older brother as well as the angst of having independent thoughts and wishes but not being able to express them most of the time. I appreciated his gentle, thoughtful nature and earnest desire to be a good, hard worker as well as his abundant love for animals and especially his desire to have a colt of his very own. I didn't feel the siblings and parents were as well-developed as Ma, Pa and Laura's sisters, though I did enjoy some of father Wilder's wisdom and his ultimate gift to his son (both the tangible one and the gift of letting his son chose his own future).

Some of my favorite chapters included Independence Day, Keeping House, Christmas and the final chapter. I must say I was a bit shocked by the first few chapters which talk about the new school master and the abuse he (and the previous school teacher) endured from the big boys from town. It is rather violent and I would probably consider skipping those when I read this to my own son in the future.

[Lydia Therese · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thought I wouldn't really like this book because it isn't about Laura and the rest of the Ingalls family. Well boy was I wrong!! I LOVED Farmer Boy!

Let me just say all those mouthwatering descriptions of all of that delicious food...it made me so hungry I actually went up and got myself a bowl of ice-cream. xD

I also think Almanzo's father is great. He disciplines and lets Almanzo figure things out for himself, but he's also very kind, compassionate and sensible. Alice was also fun, she reminded me of myself. Not quite a tomboy but not quite a girly-girl. Eliza Jane didn't get much characterization and so I didn't really like her, but I think I could have if she was more rounded out. Same goes for Royal.

The stories were fun and made you laugh. A lot of the descriptions reminded me of those in Little House in the Big Woods, but things like butchering the pigs were basically skipped so it didn't feel repetitive to the previous book in the series.

Overall, it was a wonderful book and I hope to be reading it again soon. 5 stars out of 5! Loved it!!

[Katie Ziegler (Life Between Words) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lovely. I don’t remember reading this one as a kid. I think I skipped it because it was about a boy. Silly young Kate. It was wonderful, because of course it was...