First Farm in the Valley: Anna's Story (Latsch Valley Farm Series) (Volume 1)

I definitely would have appreciated this when I was a young girl growing up in Wisconsin, rereading the Little House books because I couldn't find anything else with the same charm. I liked then, and still do, learning about practices, customs, foods, etc., from a time not too remote... my father was born when his father was still using horses to farm.

But we were more German & Swedish; these Polish people are very different and learning their specific customs is interesting. Cows & crops weren't enough for them; they had sheep, too. "Firing the anvils" is a festival ritual that I hope isn't practiced anymore, but may be, given some of the nonsense I see on my husband's video feed. The gvvjozdki for Christmas are just, imo, bizarre, and show more are surely a connection to Polish 'pagans.'

But the characters, well, they don't come alive the way the Ingalls do. I don't know why, but at this point I'm just finding the book "ok" and so am rounding up to three stars. show less

Similar to Wilder's "Little House" series, this tells of the early settlers of Wisconsin from the point of view of a young girl. This is worth reading in addition to Wilder's more popular books because it presents another ethnic view.
Anna is often teased (her father loves to have fun, when it doesn't interfere with work). When her brother tells her that you can hear seeds growing, she has to test it out--and she can! She learns to herd sheep (even thru a surprise hailstorm), knits mittens for the family cat who is keeping the mice out of their icehouse, celebrates Christmases and Independence Day, and shares the neighbors' sorrows when diphtheria strikes their community.
This ethnic group were strongly Catholic, and some of those show more practices are mentioned, which may put off some readers who don't like religion. show less