The Sod House

Once-Upon-A-Time-in-America

by Elizabeth Coatsworth, Manning de V. Lee (Illustrator)

Little Ilse Traubel was still a baby when her family came from Germany on a sailing ship to find freedom in the New World. These were troubled days in our country with the North and South at odds over the slavery question, and soon the Traubels joined the movement of Northern families who went to settle in Kansas to keep a majority vote for their side.

It was a long journey by train and wagon, and even after they had built their little house there were difficult times with prairie fires, hardships, and unfriendly neighbors. But Ilse's family stood by their beliefs, and it was not long before other families from the East joined them to make good neighbors.

(description from front inside flap)

Genres: Historical Fiction

64 pages, Unknown Binding

First published January 1, 1954

About the author

Elizabeth Jane Coatsworth was best known as the author of Away Goes Sally, The Cat Who Went to Heaven, which won the 1931 Newbery Medal, and the four Incredible Tales, but in fact she wrote more than 90 books for children. She was extremely interested in the world around her, particularly the people of Maine, as well as the houses and the surrounding land. She also loved the history and myths of her favorite places, those near her home and those encountered on her countless travels.

Coatsworth graduated from Vassar College in 1915 and received a Master of Arts from Columbia University in 1916. In 1929, she married writer Henry Beston, with whom she had two children. When she was in her thirties, her first books of adult poetry were published. For over fifty years, she continued to write and publish poetry in collections and to weave poems between the chapters of her books of fiction.

Reviews

[Michael Fitzgerald · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fine historical fiction, though very short and focused. Typically this kind of thing appears as an episode in a longer novel.

[Angie · Rating 5 out of 5]

“If we are doing God’s will, we can come to no harm. Even if we die doing it.”

“Don’t hate them. If you hate them, they will succeed, for they will have made you bad, too. Think how afraid a man must be to do a wicked thing like that.”

Early westward expansion story. This one deals with a topic that is unique: that of the congressional power shift preceding the Civil War. If Kansas was made a free state, there would be more in northern senators to vote down slavery. Northerners and southerners alike moved to Kansas in order to vote their candidates in, with tensions apparent between the two groups due to their opposing ideologies.

Told from the perspective of Ilse, a 7-year-old girl whose father’s conscience and love of freedom for all leads him to move his family to the Kansas frontier, we learn about the friction between neighbors, the Indians in the area, and even the small delights of nature in the prairie.

Though short, Coatsworth packs a lot into the book!

[Anna · Rating 3 out of 5]

For young readers, this is a great addition to Kansas history. Ilsa's family comes from Germany to America and is happy in Boston for a few years. But her father is very opposed to slavery and decides to move the family to Kansas territory to help shift the balance in the new area from pro-slavery to anti-slavery. There are several families planning to move, but the Traubels are the first. Their new home has many pleasant features but a lot of hard work. In addition, there are disputes with pro-slavery neighbors who make life as difficult as possible for the new pioneers. The story is told from Ilsa's point of view, and helps children understand what life must have been like in the early days on the Kansas frontier.

[Sharon Buxton · Rating 4 out of 5]

B+. children's fiction, Grade 2, historical fiction, Kansas, anti-slavery, Mom's stash, keep.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just read this with my 9 year-old daughter and we both loved it! It is similar to Little House books, but is set a bit earlier and gives a fuller depiction of America's political challenges. Specifically, this book focuses on a family that leaves their home in the North to become part of the abolitionist movement. It tells of their struggles--and joys--as they homestead in Kansas in order to help secure a majority vote for the end of slavery. Highly recommended: a simple, informative family read that provides a great basis for discussion.

[Cws]

JWAW-Coa

[Chase · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved it alot and it was so cool.

[Maximus · Rating 5 out of 5]

its so cool