Laura Ingalls provides an account of the childhood of her future husband in this book. Similar to the first installment, it is very charming and offers a children-friendly perspective on life on a 19th-century farm, specifically a prosperous one. The narrative is filled with numerous stories, and while the plot meanders a lot, the central focus is on the theme of Almanzo's love for farm life and his work with horses.

Despite the overall appeal, I'm deducting points because of to what I would term the "procedural aspect" of the book. The detailed descriptions of food preparation and farm chores became a bit overwhelming for me. Although interspersed with charming scenes of farm life, these intricate details, at times, overshadowed the narrative's flow. People who love reading details like this will enjoy the novel even more. ( )

While Laura Ingalls grows up in a little house on the western prairie, Almanzo Wilder is living on a big farm in New York State. Almanzo and his brother and sisters help with the summer planting and fall harvest. In winter there is wood to be chopped and great slabs of ice to be cut from the river and stored. Almanzo wishes for just one thing--his very own horse--but he must prove that he is ready for such a big responsibility.

While Laura Ingalls grows up in a little house on the western prairie, Almanzo Wilder is living on a big farm in New York State. Almanzo and his brother and sisters help with the summer planting and fall harvest. In winter there is wood to be chopped and great slabs of ice to be cut from the river and stored. Almanzo wishes for just one thing--his very own horse--but he must prove that he is ready for such a big responsibility.

Continuing my first ever read-through of this series, I enjoyed this book even more than the first one in the series. Almanzo is an endearing, hard-working boy, and I love how badly he wants to be just like his dad. I find Laura Ingalls Wilder's focus on how much food the Wilders had, as well as the variety of food, to be interesting, considering that her family in the previous book had just enough. The Wilders still worked hard for their food but this was clearly a comparatively wealthy family. And the ending, involving Almanzo deciding what to do with his sudden windfall, made me tear up. That thread of story culminating in such a great moment at the end is what elevated this book to be a new favorite for me!

My enjoyment of the book was greatly enhanced by the audiobook narrator. I'm still really loving Cherry Jones's performance in this series, as well as the fiddle music now and then, though it's not as prevalent was it was in the previous book. I highly recommend this book and series so far, for adults and kids alike. ( )

After listening to the first book of the little house series I couldn't resist myself to finish the series as soon as possible so that I know what happened to Laura and his family. I didn't read any book before finishing this series. ( )