Farmer Boy
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| Farmer Boy | |
| Author | Laura Ingalls Wilder |
|---|---|
| Illustrator | Garth Williams |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Series | Little House |
| Genre(s) | Family Saga Western |
| Publisher | Harper & Brothers, Later, Scholastic |
| Publication date | 1933 |
| Media type | Print (Hardcover, Paperback) |
| Preceded by | Little House in the Big Woods |
| Followed by | Little House on the Prairie |
Farmer Boy is a children's historical novel by Laura Ingalls Wilder. First published in 1933, it is the second book in the nine part Little House series, also known as "The Laura Years". Although it was the second book written, Farmer Boy is usually read third in the series, following Little House on the Prairie.
Farmer Boy is based on the childhood of Laura's husband, Almanzo Wilder, who grew up in the 1860's near the town of Burke in upstate New York. The book covers one year in Almanzo's life, beginning just before his ninth birthday, and describes in detail the endless chores involved in running the Wilder family farm. Young as he is, Almanzo rises before five a.m. every day to milk several cows and feed stock. In the growing season, he plants and tends crops; in winter, he hauls logs, helps fill the ice house, trains a team of young oxen, and sometimes – when his father can spare him – goes to school. The novel includes stories of Almanzo's brother Royal and his sisters Eliza Jane and Alice, who are composites of a larger group of Wilder siblings.
Almanzo works hard to prove to his parents and older siblings that he is capable of greater responsibilities on the farm, despite his youth and small size. He loves horses, and his biggest dream is that someday his father might trust him enough to give him a horse of his own. His dream finally comes true when he goes to town with his father one day and a local wheelwright offers him an apprenticeship. His parents hope he'll become a farmer (Royal has already announced his intention to become a storekeeper), but ask him whether he wants to accept the wheelwright's offer. He exclaims incredulously "Can I really tell you what I want?" – then delights them both by asking for a colt of his own to train.
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