The First Four Years
A “Little House on the Prairie” Series Book
By Laura Ingalls Wilder
Wednesday, December 7, 2022 @ Wednesday, December 7, 2022
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And the “Little House on the Prairie” adventures continue! Share your love of the Little House books with your kids!
Join young Laura Ingalls Wilder as she begins her own family with Almanzo. Learn about the challenges and joys of becoming a young pioneer wife in this charming story about family, love, commitment, and endurance.
When you join this Book Club, together we’ll read the classic, The First Four Years—and follow Laura as she navigates life away from Ma and Pa, in her own little house. You and your Literary Guide, Ms. Schuett, will analyze the characters, themes, and conflict within the story—and have so much fun learning about frontier life along the way!
What Makes This Special
It’s a classic. The First Four Years is the ninth, and final, book in the Little House series by famous author Laura Ingalls Wilder. This book was written from the author’s own experiences and memories of young adulthood and is intended for a younger audience. It is a charming insight into homesteading and frontier life.
Your Guide is a teacher with wonderful experience that helps your child learn to love reading and learning! Your Guide, Ms. Schuett, is an experienced teacher with a terminal degree (Master of Fine Arts) in storytelling. She grew up in the Midwest reading the Little House books and loves to be a Guide for the stories she loves, too! When you sign up for this Book Club, you get a professional, highly skilled Guide who helps your student develop a love for reading while learning how to dig deeper into all of the different parts of writing and creating a story.
Your Guide
Ms. Anna Schuett is a professional writer and teacher with Bachelor of Arts (BA) in English degree from Concordia University (with an emphasis in Creative Writing) and a Master of Fine Arts in Creative Writing, Genre Fiction (MFA, terminal degree) from Western Colorado University.
While studying for her MFA, Ms. Schuett was an elementary school Para-Educator and Librarian/Technology Assistant. Spending a great amount of time with students who struggled with their studies, Ms. Schuett found a love for helping students learn and grow.
Ms. Schuett works as an I.T. Coordinator for Physical, Occupational and Speech Therapy clinics across the state of Nebraska. Because of a love of working with students, Ms. Schuett also loves her role as an Instructor Access online writing teacher with Aquinas Writing Advantage for middle school students—and she is thrilled to teach elementary-aged students the joy of reading and literary understanding.
Born, raised, and living in Nebraska, USA, Ms. Schuett enjoys reading, quilting, baking, and writing epic fantasy novels—all with a cup of coffee or tea within arm’s reach. You can reach Ms. Schuett at akschuett91@gmail.com.
About the Book
- Buy from Bookshop.org
- ISBN-10: 0060581883
- ISBN-13: 978-0060581886
(From Amazon) Laura Ingalls Wilder is beginning life with her new husband, Almanzo, in their own little house. Laura is a young pioneer wife now, and must work hard with Almanzo, farming the land around their home on the South Dakota prairie. Soon their baby daughter, Rose, is born, and the young family must face the hardships and triumphs encountered by so many American pioneers.
And so, Laura Ingalls Wilder’s adventure as a little pioneer girl ends, and her new life as a pioneer wife and mother begins.
The nine books in the timeless Little House series tell the story of Laura’s childhood as an American pioneer and are cherished by readers of all generations. They offer a unique glimpse into life on the American frontier, and tell the heartwarming, unforgettable story of a loving family.
Age Range – 7 and up
Parental Guidance
The First Four Years is a classic that was published in 1971, which means there are some cultural differences and dated concepts. The manuscript for this final book was found in Wilder’s daughter’s estate and is believed to be originally written around 1940. It was published with minimal editing. This book is more mature than the previous novels in the series, causing some to question if it was intended to be the ninth book, or its own stand-alone adult novel. Some things that may be challenging for young readers:
- Natural Disaster: Laura and Almanzo face several natural disasters in the first four years of their marriage. Their crops are destroyed by hailstorms and dry hot winds. Their home is burned down by a flash fire.
- Disease: Both Laura and Almanzo contract diphtheria. Almanzo is left permanently disabled.
- Child Loss: Laura’s second, unnamed, child dies a few weeks after his birth.
We will discuss these topics with care.
There may also be some challenging vocabulary that we discuss together in the Club; readers are encouraged to bring up vocabulary words for discussion in our time together.
- Week 1: Discussion – Chapters 1-2
- Week 2: Discussion – Chapters 3-4
How To Begin
It’s easy! Follow these steps to get started…
- Sign up and get in (before it’s full!) — Use the blue button at the bottom of this page to save your spot.
- Receive your information — Within 48 hours of signing up, you’ll get an email with your Club’s details. Save this email, bookmark the zoom link, and add the club dates to your calendar.
- Prepare for your first meeting — Get the book from your own favorite source, or buy your book(s) directly from your Book Club pages. Read the assigned chapters ahead of time, and download and print the supplies list for crafts (young readers), activity pages for during the Club time (older readers), or the handout to guide the discussion (older students).
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