Little Britches: Father and I Were Ranchers by Ralph Moody

Little Britches: Father and I Were Ranchers by Ralph Moody was first published in 1950, and I would say it is the male equivalent to Little House on the Prairie.

Both my sister, Jill, and my neighbor, Lisa, suggested I read this book, so I did. This is the first of eight books in the series. Ralph Moody tells about his life, starting when he is eight years old and his family moves to Colorado in order save his father's health. He works in the east in a Woolen Mill and the air quality is destroying his lungs.

The story is set in the early 1900s. Ralph gets a few nick-names in this book. He is called Molly by the bullies at his school because his mother makes him wear nice clothes instead of overalls to school. He then gains the nickname of Spike when he fights back, and lastly, he becomes Little Britches when he learns to do tricks on a horse.

Ralph is a pretty average kid for the time period. He makes mistakes, but his parents are good people who try to teach him right from wrong. Children are spanked during this time period and Ralph gets his share of spankings. He loves his father dearly and the reader can see that his father really helped him grow to become a good person who values honesty and keeping his reputation clean.

I will probably read the next book in this series as I came to care about the characters - including the animal characters. Animals were a big part of life during the time period of this book. If you liked The Little House books, you will like this book. Your boys will prefer this one.

Read to a child today even if that child is you. 

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