Module 3 - The Little House

 Burton, Virginia Lee.  (1942). The little house.  Boston:  Houghton Mifflin.

Summary

The Little House, written and illustrated by Virginia Lee Burton, tells the story of a house built long ago by a man who wants his family to live in it for generations to come.   The house is alone in the country when the story first begins, and the scenery is peaceful even as the seasons change.  Sometimes the house wishes for a more exciting life in the city.  As years pass, the house begins to see more and more of the “horseless carriages” and a road built in front of the house.  Years continue to go by, and the house is soon surrounded by buildings, traffic, smoke, and noise.   No one lives in the house anymore, and it begins to deteriorate.  One day, a young woman notices the house and recognizes it as the one her great-great grandfather built.  She has the house moved to the country, and the house is surrounded by peaceful scenery again.  The story ends with the house realizing the city is not the exciting life it wants.

My impressions

The story is simple, teaching the classic lesson 'be careful what you wish for' within an original story.  The pictures add much to the book by portraying a house that seems to have emotions.  This book, illustrated by the author, won the Caldecott Award in 1943.  The illustrations make the book come alive.  The country scenes are peaceful, and as the city grows, one can feel the smog and dirt.  The house becomes uncomfortable in the city, and the reader can not only tell from the words, but the pictures show it as well.  Somehow, without giving the house a face or human features, the illustrator depicts the house as expressing emotion.  Seeing the house at times happy, sad, or lonely, the reader is able to understand the story in a way that goes beyond the narrative.

Library Usage

This story can be used to compare and contrast the country and the city.  By creating a Venn diagram, students can demonstrate the similarities and differences between the two.     

The book shows a great deal of history as the city grows.  This story could be the beginning of learning about the invention of the automobile, trolley, and subway.  Using the illustrations along with their own research, students could determine the approximate years of the various scenes in the book.            

                                       

Reviews

"This engaging picture book clearly presents a wealth of information." 

Sawyer, L. (2008). The little house. Booklist, 104(9), 106. Retrieved from http://libproxy.library.unt.edu:2103/login.aspx?direct=true&db=lih&AN=28790871&site=ehost-live&scope=site