Christmas in the Big Woods

Summary: It was almost Christmas and Laura and her family were getting ready for their relatives to come over. While Laura was waiting, she helped her mother and sister make food for Christmas day. Once her relatives arrived all of the cousins were so excited to have children to play with that they began playing immediately. Everyone went to bed as soon as possible because they knew that Santa was coming that night and when they woke up everyone had small gifts in their stockings, but Laura had one extra gift. Laura got a doll that she cherished from the moment she saw it, but she let all the children play with the doll too.

Review: Wilder writes her accounts of her childhood in a way that seems magical and exciting. Young readers can show more become enticed with her descriptions, such as "...big bear hug against his cold inter coast...covered with melting snowflakes," as well as the illustrations that go along with every page (p. 3). Children are able to relate to this story because it deals with getting ready for an exciting event, in this case Christmas, but any large family gathering would fit in.

Wilder's main message of this particular book of hers is that there is much joy in the simple aspects of life. She goes around in the story talking about how excited she was about getting ready for her family to come join her and when she received a rag doll for Christmas she was over the moon. In the 21st Century children can get caught up in the wave of materialistic jargon, but Wilder helps eliminate the extravagant lifestyle excitement and bring us back to our home roots. show less

I grew up watching Little House On The Prarie. My oldest two daughters love it as well, and have the book series. So, the My First Little House Books are a no brainer for my youngest children. This Christmas edition to the series is beautifully written and illustrated and gives children a great look into the very minimalistic lives of pioneer settlers.

The illustrations are lovely and are definitely inspired by the originals by Garth Williams. The writing, though, is overly simplified and doesn’t seem like a complete story.

I read this book growing up and it was sentimental to revisit it again! The pastel illustrations still enchant me and make me smile.

Laura has an idyllic life with her two sisters, her parents and a bulldog named Jack.
Christmas is coming and preparations are rampant--Ma is making cookies, pies and a special molassas snow candy.
Christmas Eve brings Aunt Eliza, Uncle Peter and cousins! The children make snow images and hang their stockings;they receive simple gifts-peppermint sticks and red homemade mittens.
The story has so many homespun images and is beautifully illustrated by Renee Graef.

4 1/2 - a nice read for Christmas. The longer versions in the novels are better but this was a fun read and made O want to read the series all over again.

Christmas in the Woods in a realistic fiction picture book. Children will get an inside look on what life would have been if he or she lived in a cabin in the woods. This book teaches the importance of family and supporting one another. The holidays are a time for reflection and being with family and that is what this book portrays. I feel that this book would benefit children because it teaches a life lesson to always be there for your family no matter what.