As a child, this was my least favorite Little House book as it wasn't about Laura. But now as an adult, I have grown to like and appreciate it as another perspective on pioneer living. Laura Ingalls Wilder honors and respects her husband by telling his story too. The story of Almanzo Wilder’s childhood days shows another farm family’s lifestyle in America's earlier days. The juxtaposition between the life of a homesteading family and the life of an established farm family in a settled part of the country shows both the similarities and differences of each way of life.

The reader also is able to compare and contrast Laura and Almanzo’s childhoods and upbringing. There certainly are differences in gender roles and responsibilities, education, and creature comforts, but there are also many similarities. Both are raised by parents with strong morals and values, and as the head of the family, the fathers especially are deeply respected and admired. Each is seen as smart and resourceful, and both men love the land and the freedom and independence the farming life brings. The mothers are also respected and valued for their wisdom and comfort and are portrayed as strong and capable individuals in their own right.

Farmer Boy gives us a not only a picture of Almanzo’s upbringing, but also of his personality. His love of horses came at an early age as well as his appreciation of good home cooking and the simple pleasures of a fine meal. His family and community shaped him into a hard-working and determined man of fine character.

While it’s still the one I re-read the least, I've gained a quiet appreciation for Almanzo and for Laura's wise choice to include his story.

I loved all the Laura Ingalls Wilder books, in particular "Little House in the Big Woods", "Little Town on the Prairie" and "These Happy Golden Years". They are books I can read and savor over and over again. But I just need to give a shout out to my absolute favorite Laura Ingalls Wilder book, and that is "Farmer Boy"--to me, Farmer Boy is the under-appreciated middle child of the Laura Ingalls collection. People forget about it just because it doesn't start with "Little" or end with "Prairie". It is about Almanzo, who Laura eventually marries. There are several reasons why I love this book more than the others:

1) Almanzo and his family are loaded. Well, compared to Laura they are. They run a much bigger farm than she does and the father is something of a gentleman farmer, not like the wild Charles who is all over the place and doesn't know what he's doing (let's be honest a lot of the books are based around the fact that Charles is a moron--first they leave the big woods, where the rest of their family is. Then they're stuck somewhere on the friggin prairie and have to ford the friggin river and almost lose Jack. Then they're living in some kind of underground burrow. Then they're starving through the winter because Charles is an idiot who can't provide for his family. This never happens to Almanzo's dad.)

2) They take you through the whole farming season, from trashing the hay to cutting up the ice, to gathering potatoes in great, great detail. It's really a pleasure to read. It's also a big farm, like I mentioned so they're more commercial than the Ingalls' farm. You get to see the process of how, for example, they sell their butter, which is pretty cool.

3) THE FOOD. I've never come across another book that is as lushly descriptive as this one in terms of food. I thought Harry Potter might do it at some point but it proved to disappoint in that respect. Being loaded + working from 5 AM in the fields before the days the dangers of saturated fats or Atkins were known = glorious food descriptions. I can't even begin to recount them but I urge that you check this book out for yourself. I'd also make sure to check it out with the original illustrations

Another very cute story! This one was different from the Little House books that I've read so far because Almanzo lives on a farm near a town rather than the frontier, but it was still written in the same charming way that gave me all sorts of historical insights.

The characters were enjoyable once again, as well. All unique personalities, not repeats of previous characters, and I especially enjoyed the family dynamic.

Content:

Swearing: On rare occasion it's said someone swore, but the word is not written out.

Violence: The older boys at the schoolhouse are said to have beaten up and run off every teacher that tried to punish them for their misbehavior. The younger kids are therefore afraid the older boys will kill the new teacher, who is skinny and doesn't look like he can defend himself. However, the teacher gets creative and  uses a borrowed bullwhip  to defend himself and run the bad boys off when they try to attack him.

Other: When Almanzo's parents go away from home for a week, the kids get into a little mischief, mainly eating too much sugar and not doing their chores. This isn't without consequence though because they then have to rush and do everything when it's time for their parents to come home.

#lerlauraingallswilder #projetoumacasanapradaria ❤️

As impressive as it was when my parents read it to us kids (in Dutch) fifty-odd years ago.

Reread aloud to kids for the umpteenth time in 34 years. Still good.

4.5

February 2018- Listened on Audible with the kids. Kai loved it! We had lots to talk about. Eve still doesn’t have the attention span for long readings on Audible (she’s my daughter and likes to talk

I read these books when I was a girl, and now I'm sharing them with my girls! I loved Farmer Boy, especially the descriptions of all the meals!

Its been a stressful week in my real life. It has been impossible to actually concentrate on books. So this afternoon I picked up a childhood favorite and escaped into the past. This book is sweet, funny and well-written. I enjoyed the temporary escape from reality.

Our nearly 6 year old son and I were enthralled by this collection of anecdotes of daily life on a New York farm in the late 1800s. The chapters ranged from funny, to scary, to inspiring as the characters made it through tough experiences. Our boy's favorite stories were about hauling wood, where Almanzo struggles through a few catastrophes in the deep snow, and the county fair, where he sees a mule for the first time.

I loved this book!
It has an excellent story line and is very enjoyable to read. It also has great lessons incorporated in the book about the value of money, hard work, and the support of family.
Definitely recommend to anyone who is looking for a simple yet exciting read.
It is for sure enjoyable for all ages and I can see this being an amazing read aloud. I listened to the audio book and can recommend that without hesitation, it was performed wonderfully.